The Mole: Agent's Elevation
by krisetchers
Summary: THE MOLE: The chaos, deceits, and twists have escalated and intensified. 10 players are thrust into this new arena that will put all of their skills to the test. But one of them, like always, is out to eliminate them all. Someone has constructed this entire labryinth of treachery and mistrust. Entailing countless lies, an individual ruins: the Mole.
1. The Jumping Start

**_Author to the very first Mole-Mario story established on this site, The Mole: Traitor Aboard..._**

**_...and its sequel, The Mole: Sabotuer's island..._**

**_I introduce to you the third adventure of this trilogy: The agent's elevation._**

**WHOA! Greetings on behalf of the individual with the blue hat! I am extremely happy to introduce the beginning of this 3rd season to you all. So many new ideas for a new Mole game I wanted to introduce would have gone to waste, if I did not make this season. So I knew I had to make this.**

**If you read my latest chapter in "The Mole: Saboteur's Island", you'll see some reasons why I was hesitant on making this 3rd season. But I am more than willing to coninue if people enjoy it, because this is all a gift for the readers who will enjoy this story. ****So if enough people like it and want it to continue by Episode 1's end, I will continue : )**

**ANYWAYS! Be prepared. Readers, especially new ones, please enjoy this game of the Mole! For those of you who HAVE read my past two seasons: get ready for another world, full of electric chaos, game twists, and adventure : )**

* * *

_Haven't read The Mole: Traitor Aboard or The Mole: Saboteur's Island yet? Don't worry! However, by Episode 2, there will be spoilers on the contents of the last story! So TAKE AS WARNING! But if it is okay with you, please read ahead below : ) if not, then do not be too intimidated with finishing Saboteur's Island first. In honesty, reading over Season 2, the chapters are SO MUCH shorter in comparison to this season's. You will not fall behind if you decide to read it first! But yes, the choice is up to you and either way is just totally great : )_

* * *

**THE MOLE: AGENT'S ELEVATION**

"What is a Mole?" repeated the figure in the familiar blue top hat, reiterating the question that was just asked to him.

"Yes," the other figure spoke, then added, "Well, to you, that is. What is the definition of a Mole?" It wasn't the first time the host was asked such a question, but he wanted to give a good answer to the person besides him.

"The Mole is a person…just like you," replied the host, looking into the horizon that was mostly bland. "He or she is an individual who walks this earth. Who talks. Who smiles. Who can laugh, or frown. Who watches over people and keeps something going on, no matter it be good or bad. The Mole holds the highest place in life, and in this game as well. And it can be one of us. You could be the Mole. I could be the Mole."

"So the Mole is a character, who is just like one of the players? It's impossible to detect them, am I right?"

"Well, every Mole has a weak point," explained McHallyboo. "If you're lucky, you'll see that slimmer, or that crack, that is emitted from a person who is trying to hide him or herself within a group of people." McHallyboo peered over the edge of the building the two of them were on.

"There's something different about them, and if you look closely enough, you can see it. It just takes a while to detect."

"Hmm, I see," the other individual said, but there was still a bit of unreadiness in their voice. He or she looked off the edge of the tower that they and the host were perched at the very top of. Down below and far into the distance, they could see one of the players making their way to the tower's base, and the individual was startled. Never the less, they straightened themself up.

"The other players are coming," said McHallyboo, going towards the door that separated the outside world from the adventurous and dangerous interior that waited indoors.

Before entering, the host turned and grinned at the individual who was sharing the roof of the tower with him.

"Are you ready to play your game…Mole?"

* * *

_**At the base of the building...**_

The first player to arrive spotted the building from miles away. Now at its entrance, he looked up and smirked. It was appropriate for such the individual to be arriving first before all the players, and he entered the tower.

"This is going to be a fun game," he confirmed to himself, opening the building's door entrance and entering in.

**_PLAYER: Il_**

_Surname:_ Piantissimo

_Birthday:_ January 2

_Occupation:_ Competitive Athlete

The second player to arrive looked up, seeing the immense construction that lay before her eyes. She was taken back, but was ready to play the game.

"This must be the building where the game will start," she pondered, opening the door to the building with uncertainty.

**_PLAYER: Flurrie _**

_Surname:_ Gustine

_Birthday:_ November 21

_Occupation:_ Actress

A third player stepped her way to the entrance of the building. She politely knocked on the front door, but there was no one to answer it.

"It appears that I must enter myself," she decided, and she entered into the mysterious internal world before her.

**_PLAYER: Eclair_**

_Surname:_ Choux

_Birthday:_ June 30

_Occupation:_ Patron/Pastry Maker

Another player arrived at the tower's base. He looked up, the building being tall compared to his short stature. He was an interesting pick for the game, but not at all apprehensive.

"Well, this is going to be good," he commented. He had no idea whether his statement would hold truth or not.

**_PLAYER: Dashell_**

_Surname:_ Knot

_Birthday:_ September 23

_Occupation:_ Sports Agent

Another player arrived at the base, arriving at the building that lay in a city void of other living habitat. He entered the mysterious building as well with a heavy shrug of cluelessness.

**_PLAYER: Dry Bones_**

_Surname:_ Secar

_Birthday:_ July 5

_Occupation:_ Horticulturist

"Well, someone in this building is a traitor," he commented, taking a breath. "Time to meet him or her." He opened the door to the building and entered.

The sixth player, surprisingly as she reached the base of the building, had no exhaustion in her body.

"Ah…this must be it. Well, a journey well spent."

She had a larger supply of energy than most people of her age, and a sharper mind too.

**_PLAYER: Zess_**

_Surname:_ Toad

_Birthday:_ February 26

_Occupation:_ Chef

The next player arrived, stared at the building, and grunted.

"I better like this. Sister said I would."

Out of all activities, he had chosen to participate in this game that would probably put his mind and attitude on a spin.

**_PLAYER: Bowser Jr._**

_Surname:_ Koopa

_Birthday:_ October 4

_Occupation:_ Student

"Well, I just can't WAIT to see who else is playing in this game."

An eighth player walked inside. Before she did however, she let out a little giggle, perhaps preparing herself for meeting the other strangers she was about to encounter.

**_PLAYER: Mimi_**

_Surname:_ Shipeshafter

_Birthday:_ April 10

_Occupation:_ Maid

A player arrived. He seemed a little intimidated by its massive but somewhat eerier look, but he took a big breath and stepped his way inside of the building.

**_PLAYER: Snifit_**

_Surname:_ Incognoto

_Birthday:_ December 2

_Occupation:_ Police Officer

The last player to arrive looked up at the tower, blocking her eyes from the setting sun in the sky.

**_PLAYER: Tiny_**

_Surname:_ Kong

_Birthday:_ October 20

_Occupation:_ Retail Manager

"This has to be it…I'm sure of it."

Knowing that the game would begin inside, she braced herself as she stepped into the unknown qualities of the construction.

* * *

Tiny Kong, entering the large room. She came face to face with the other nine players of the game.

"Okay, good! We did have a tenth player!" Dry Bones concluded, turning to the crowd of players in the room. "See?" Discussion on the number of players who would play in this season came to a conclusive end.

"Well, Season 1 of this game had nine players," Bowser Jr. stated with memory, sulking. "So I was guessing educationally." Never the less, he looked ready to play the game.

"Wow, I didn't know my appearance would create such controversy," Tiny joked. As the door closed, the door shut behind her, and the people in the room jumped. They were, once again, trapped in the building's interior.

"My my," said Flurrie, looking at the other players. "Quite a cast we have. And with ten players, who could the Mole be?"

"It's not me," said Dashell, right away. "I just want to tell you all that if you suspect me, you might be wrong. There's ten players, so you'd be wrong guessing me."

"Well, pish posh on that," Zess T. said, grinning at the others. "No difference to me, be it eight players, nine players, or a hundred players!" Mimi looked at her, a little stunned.

"How are you going to survive in this game?" she spoke up. "Aren't you too old to be doing adventurous, dangerous things like they did in the previous seasons?" Even though she should have been, Zess T. was not the least bit insulted at her statement.

"Just because I'm an old lady doesn't mean I can't compete with a majority of you young players, Ms. Shape-shifter," Zess T. said with a wink. Mimi folded her arms.

It was a large lobby. In fact, the entrance of the room that the players were designed to stay in only took a small portion of the floor that consisted of the entire room. Another nine-tenths of the room was just bare, desolate, and surprisingly bland. The players felt as if there was an invisible barrier that separated the beginning of the lobby from the rest of the room, but never the less, only one thing was on their minds: the fact that one of the players in the room at that second was the hidden, deceitful saboteur.

"So, I guess we should all, you know," Flurrie said, looking around with a pleasant smile. "Get to know each other. I am an actress from Boggly Woods, previously retired but replenished back today with even more skills than ever before."

"An actress, huh?" said Dry Bones. "That's a perfect role for a…never mind." Flurrie perked up, looking at him.

"I'm Tiny Kong," Tiny spoke up. "Well, my sister's boyfriend was on this show, but I really don't know anything about this game. So I'm kind of new to this whole thing…concept…whatever."

"Hmm, but I'm sure you know the whole premise of it," Bowser Jr said with confirmation.

"Yeah, so?" she replied.

"I would like to introduce myself," spoke the princess in the room, bowing lightly to the others. "I am Princess Eclair. I have not met Mario, like most of you have, but I have been acquainted with the presence of Luigi."

"Oh, were you not the individual who Luigi was searching for in his own discoveries?" Flurrie inquired.

"Yes, and I make pastries too," the princess replied.

"Okay well, hey, what's up," said the Pixl, going to the front of the formed group. "I'm Dashell, and it's cool to meet you guys. But like I said, I'm not the Mole. So don't vote for me on the quizzes."

"That is a really odd thing to hear," said Mimi, looking at the Pixl. "Who else would say that, except for the Mole?"

Flurrie: _We really did have an interesting cast. We were all split in personalities and backgrounds, let alone appearances. It was going to be quite a wild ride._

"Well," said Tiny Kong, tossing her hair back. "I guess we're all done introducing each other glad. So I'm glad we can all be friends, right?"

"Haha! Is that a joke?" Il Piantissimo said out loud, standing up from his chair that he was sitting on. "Friends? I scoff. Do you not know what this game is all about?"

"I believe we all do," stated Flurrie. Everyone silently nodded to themselves: they were all aware of the fact that one of the people in the room was not one of them.

"But anyway, I am Il Piantissimo, of Italian descent, medal-winning background, and athlete extraordinaire," said the player, sticking his hand out to Princess Eclair and butting in. "Or you can simply call me Piantissimo. It is a pleasure to be in the presence of a princess."

"More like 'Stuck-Up Extraordinaire'" whispered Tiny Kong to Dry Bones, who both laughed.

"Well, I don't know about all of y'all young fellas," said Zess T, the fifty-five year old chef of Rougeport, "but I'm ready to find the Mole! Just who could it be? Which one of you is it?" Her eyes gleamed at each of them with playful suspicion.

"Yeah!" said Bowser Jr. "One of you is the Mole. That's what this whole game is about anyway! I'm not trusting any of you at the moment.." Everyone looked at Bowser's son.

"That is a funny thing, realizing that you yourself are the son of a notorious plan-destroying individual," Mimi giggled.

"Heh well, you really aren't too innocent yourself," Bowser Jr. retorted.

"Well, even if we trust each other or not, we should still greet each other, because it's the mannerly thing to do," Flurrie spoke. "And we all have. My, we have all become so much more compatible with each other!" The players couldn't have agreed less.

"Oh, who are you?" Dry Bones said, looking to the player besides him who had decided to sit down on one of the chairs. Snifit turned around, a little startled.

"Umm, Snifit," said the masked player. His attention was towards the empty portion of the room. Now, he looked up at the player who spoke to him.

"It's nice to make your acquaintance," he said timorously.

"Like-wise," Dry Bones said, looking at the player suspiciously.

And then the lights, inexplicably, turned off.

"OH MY GOSHHH WHAT'S HAPPENING?" came a shriek, who some of them recognized to be Mimi's.

"Light! Lights!" The players were all in chaos, some of them stumbling into each other as they tried to find a position of safety.

"We won't get anywhere if we all just keep on panicking mindlessly!" Zess T. said, trying to settle everybody down. The panic eventually stopped, as everyone stood around in darkness.

"Aw man, this stinks!" said Bowser Jr. "It was already bad enough with the lights on!"

"Don't you have a fire-breathing ability?" Dashell spoke up. "Use your fire for light, man!" Surrounding players panicked even more.

"Just please do not risk burning me," Tiny Kong said, already fearing for her safety. "It's the last thing we want."

All of a sudden, the darkness in the room was destroyed by a bright light. As they were able to recollect themselves, they realized that in the middle of the darkness, a light was being projected.

"Look! There's something!" A hologram was present before them, projecting onto somewhere into the distance of the black expanse. Being displayed before all the players was something important and vital to their game…or rather, someone. It was the image of the person who would be leading them through their every step, from beginning to end.

"Is that…?" Flurrie said with wonder. "Oh my."

"Hello, players," said McHallyboo, whose face was the only thing illuminating the entire room. His voice echoed in magnitude through the entire building's floor.

"I must congratulate you all for being the third round of players for this season of 'The Mole'. I am more than delighted to have you guys play in this psychological game of adventure and deceit." The players, although all still mystified, continued listening to the host.

"The goal of this game is to find the saboteur among you," the host said. "One of you is the Mole. His or her job in this game is to sabotage your efforts in this game, as well as deflect suspicion away from him or herself. They are your enemy, and he or she is one of you."

"A double agent," thought Dashell.

"In every episode, you will be faced with games that can earn you money. Succeed in these games, and you can earn up to 500,000 coins. One of you, as always guaranteed in the game of the Mole, will win it all." The players all fell into a hushed silence of nervousness but eagerness.

"Of course, it will be the Mole's job to keep as much money away from the pot as they can during the missions," said McHallyboo, winking in large form in his projection. "And it is YOUR job to keep track of the Mole. Because at the end of every episode, a quiz is administered about the Mole, and the player to score the lowest on the quiz will immediately be kicked out of this building."

"Building?" The players were all hushed into confusion.

"Yes," said McHallyboo. "This entire game…will take place in this very building." The players, even though they could barely see each other, turned to face one another in their positions.

"Hahahar!" came the distinct laugh of Piantissimo, echoing somewhere in the darkness. "What does that even mean? And if that is true, how am I supposed to run outside in the wild air, compete against the others, and beat them?" Tiny rolled her eyes at this statement.

"If you remember the size of the lobby before this darkness flooded this floor," McHallyboo said, "then you might have realized that it was abnormally large, larger than what a regular lobby would regularly be sized at. That is because…it was not a real lobby. It does not exist anymore." The sentence was confusing for the players.

"In what way does the lobby no longer exist?" Princess Eclair replied, in a voice of confusion that matched the other players.

"I knew it," said Snifit, only the people nearby hearing him.

"The entire lobby was virtually constructed," said McHallyboo. "This darkness...is this room's default. This is an empty darkness of nothing. Whatever it projects becomes whatever this room turns into. You will be constructed into another reality that, although it doesn't really exist, will be very real to you all. You will be able to see things. Feel things. Touch things. Even talk to things that aren't real."

"That's quite impossible," said Mimi, laughing to herself, almost ridiculing the host.

"Nope, it's very quite possible," the host replied. "Watch." With a small sound of a click, his face vanished.

For a few extra seconds, they were in darkness. Then, with no warning, the brightness in the room exploded to a level so high that the players shielded their eyes in alarm. The entire room, or rather, floor of the building, began to flash violently, and the players could only stand their ground in trepidation. Electricity surged within unseen wires circulating the entire length of the room that went on and on for hundreds and hundreds of feet. Screens and pixels around them on the walls, ceiling, and floors transformed into shades of green, blue, brown, and eventually filled the entire existence of the room with almost every different color shade of the rainbow spectrum.

"What is going on!" shrieked Mimi. She grabbed onto the nearest player next to her to hold her balance.

The ground below them was green, and there was a set of gasps which echoed among the players as some of them felt the sensation of grass below their feet. But this transformation was only the beginning.

"Watch out!" said Dashell, pulling Eclair out of the way of a protruding, out-of-place object that baffled all of the players: a tree.

"My chair disappeared!" yelled Piantissimo, who was using his chair for balance. "It simply disappeared! What is the meaning of this!"

Very quickly, things sprung up out of nowhere that startled the players to a level of extreme terror but wonder: the images of trees, bushes, and fields of grass all around them materialized from the darkness. The ceiling of their building, after being preceded by sparks of electricity, transformed into a light-blue color that resembled the image of a day sky. It was almost in a flash so fast that it couldn't have lasted more than ten seconds, and eventually, the players were able to open their eyes with full consciousness. Nobody in the room knew exactly what had truly happened. Not even the Mole. But in the end, what had happened was real: the entire interior of the building of where the players had been standing their ground had turned into the natural atmosphere of a grassy, plain-filled, world.

"Green…fields," said Dry Bones, almost in a trance. The players saw a field of green that stretched out for miles in front of them, littered with trees, bushes, and hills that stretched into the distance, probably lands away.

"It is impossible," Eclair said, stunned and bending down to feel the ground below her, then looked forwards at the green plains. "Is the image ahead of us of a false projection?"

"It…does not look like a projection," said Tiny, flabbergasted. She stepped forwards, and then walked more on the grass in front of her.

"I must be going mad, because the grass below me feels as fresh as ever," said Zess T, then she let out a laugh. "Technology these days!"

"My my, this game just got much more interesting," Flurrie said, going over to a nearby tree and feeling it. One by one, the players became comfortable enough to step forwards, discovering that the virtual world reached out in depth. All of a sudden, they were no longer in a dark, desolate building: each step they took sucked them deeper into the truth that what was virtually created was more real than any outside grassland they had ever encountered. A world was created within the boundaries of a building.

"I wonder if I would crash into anything if I ran ahead for a mile," said Piantissimo, a little cautiously.

"Welcome to Lineland Road!" came a voice from behind them. "Or at least, a virtual, realistic version of Lineland Road that you probably couldn't be bale to distinguish from the real world."

All players turned around at once, and were greeted by the grin of someone that they, a group of people months ago, and a group of suspicious people several years prior had all seen before. Like in the past, his appearance made the players feel both excited and uncertain about the game they were about to partake in.

"Where on earth did you come from?" Mimi asked, flabbergasted "I mean, what is this place?"

"I want to welcome you all, and also congratulate you all for being part of this wonderful third season," the host said grandly. "I am McHallyboo, and I'll be your host, guiding you through this entire game. In addition, I will also be guiding you guys through this entire building." The players just stared at him, lost in words.

"Nice to meet you…host," said Dry Bones, obviously taken back by McHallyboo's nonchalant demeanor.

"It does blow my mind that we're currently in a building right now," Flurrie pondered. "I wonder what other surprises lay in store for us. Deception-wise."

"In each floor of this building, you will be presented with a different world," the host explained to them. "After every episode, you will move on to the next floor of this building. You will be elevating. There, another world will be present to you all. In this season of the Mole…you will be travelling to many varying worlds." He looked around where they all were.

"Right now, you are in the fictional world of Lineland Road. Which is funny, because this very location in the actual real world has a virtual appearance itself. But this is the world you will all be in, for this first episode."

"I don't get it," said Dry Bones, clearly skeptical of the hosts words. "So you're saying that this is all fake and constructed, but…we're literally like, walking in grassy fields right now."

"Doesn't it seem real?" the host said, smiling. The players were mystified: looking behind McHallyboo himself, at the very area that used to be the entrance to the building's lobby, all they could see were green hills of grass that stretched out into the far background for miles and miles.

"So if I were to like, cut myself on a rock," Dry Bones went on, "in this, say, virtual world of fake objects and projections, I wouldn't really get cut, or would I?" McHallyboo paused for a second.

"Actually, you would," the host answered, getting the most confused look from the player.

"I'm just going to assume that we're just outside in the open air, instead of in a building" Tiny Kong said with a laugh. "I think we all should assume that…if we want to keep our sanity."

"So what's at the top of the building?" Dashell immediately asked. McHallyboo paused for a second, again.

"The end of the game is the roof of this building" he said truthfully. "You must make your way through each episode to reach it. Elevate there. In the end, three people will be on the roof with me: the winner, the loser, and the Mole. So, depending on how all of you play, you can be one of those three people. So, play your best, find the Mole, and win this game." The players took a small moment to absorb everything in that was spoken by the host.

"So!" said the host in a ready voice. "Are you all ready for your first mission of this game?" The players looked at each other, then at the host. They had barely accustomed themselves to their unusual surroundings, and were far from ready to take part in their opening task, whatever it would be.

Dry Bones: _It was like the craziest thing I had ever seen. This game was already crazy, and we didn't even begin the first game. I was just wondering: could I survive this?_

Tiny Kong: _The Mole will have a really fun job messing up and sabotaging in this world. There really are no boundaries._

"Follow me," was all the host said, and the players followed him in unison. As they walked forwards, they saw something even more mysterious and eye-opening than ever: the distant land ahead of them, kilometers into the distance, seemed to change and expand into more created land and deepened atmosphere as they continued to follow and walk with the host. As they walked forward, more land, trees, and towering mountains formed ahead of them.

Looking backwards, as some of them did to study the peculiarity of their surroundings, they could see mountains slowly disappearing and fading out of view. It was as if they were on a conveyor belt, maintained in the same place, and the entire world around them was moving and transitioning instead.

"If you really, really look closely, you can almost see land being created ahead of us as we go forwards," McHallyboo pointed out to them. "But if you ignore that small fact, everything seems just like the real, normal, outside world. I really doubt you could be able to tell the real world from this world, if you were blindfolded and thrust into this land."

"I almost forgot we were in a building," Zess T chuckled, looking around. "I may be too old for these new bursts of technology."

Zess: _Now, I was getting a little tired walking past these virtual trees. And they weren't even real! Boy, was I going to be out of shape at the end of this game._

* * *

The players continued to follow the host, and before they had reached the location where their first game would begin, some of them paused. Players, such as Dry Bones, stopped in their tracks before continuing to where McHallyboo was about to settle. The host stopped ten feet from something gigantic and haunting.

"What…are we gonna…no way," he said, shaking his head. The other players eyes widened at the area that stood before them, or rather, lack of land.

"Uh…where's the rest of the land?" Tiny asked. Before them, a huge gap separated them from the other side of the continuing world. The gap of land before the players led down to a cliff of undetermined length, and the players could only fear what the virtual world had in store for them.

"These gaps…oh my," said Flurrie, having followed Mario on his many adventures. They were all thanksful to be a safe distance from the edge of the daunting cliff. Even if everything was virtual, it may have just been real.

"Yes, a classic gap," said McHallyboo. "I introduce you to your first mission of this game. And what an opening mission it will be." The players faced him, as he grinned.

"This game is called…the Leap of Truth!" The players' hearts either stopped or skipped a beat, but either way, an early chill swept through their bodies at the hosts' announcement of the game's title.

"Why is it called…oh gosh," said Dry Bones, hanging his head.

"This is how the game will work," the host explained. "One by one, you will all face the edge of this gap. I will present you with a statement. The statement will either be a true statement, or a false statement. If you believe that the statement I say is false…you simply do not do anything. You simply stand in your place."

He opened his arms up, almost as if he was introducing the large gap of land behind him.

"However, if you believe the statement you are given is a true one," he said, his smile changing, "then you must jump the leap of faith. Down into the gap. You will endure approximately the distance of a two-hundred and twenty-six foot free fall." Dread and incredulity could not be understated for the players.

Bowser Jr.: _This…was…our first mission? What? Are you kidding me?_

"Over two hundred feet of falling?!" Mimi yelled. "Are you crazy?"

"I…cannot do that," said Dry Bones.

"So what's at the bottom?" asked Dashell. "Everyone's concerned about the fall. I'm concerned about the bottom."

"A passing sensor has changed the bottom of the gap to pretty much, well, defy gravity as you hit the bottom," said McHallyboo. "Before you hit the bottom from a centimeter away, you will float in the air, and before you know it, you can position yourself and be walking on the ground as if you had been dropped from less than a centimeter high." The host turned to the players.

"I'm going to pretend that I understood that," Dashell said.

"You will be faced to jump this cliff one by one," said McHallyboo. "The choice is solely up to you, on whether the statement I give to you is true or false. However, you are allowed to use the words of the other players before you jump or not. Ask them your very question! This is a teamwork game."

"So we can conference the correct answer with the players, before we choose to jump or not," Flurrie wanted to confirm. The host nodded.

"Overall, you yourself will know the best answer, on your own," McHallyboo said cryptically. "You know your name. And know which it is closer to: true or false." The players looked at the host, thinking.

"Hmm...then we shall trust ourselves and our names," Piantissimo said with understanding.

"Oh, and time is of the essence," said the host. "After I read the statement, you have the maximum time of a minute before you must decide on your decision, on whether to jump or not." The players felt a wave of panic swoop over them.

Mimi: _Like, everyone knows, the__ human body just can't function under the pressure of time. How are we going to win this?_

"If half of you are able to succeed in making a successful choice," said McHallyboo, "I will award ten thousand coins to the team. If six of you are able to succeed in a right choice, I will add 15,000 coins. In order to win the full 20,000 coins for this mission, seven out of the ten of you have to make a well-made choice." The players nodded, knowing that their game would be more than just a tough first round.

"I want to win the full twenty-thousand though, so I'm hoping that none of you will mess up…right?" Piantissimo said to the others.

"Dibs on not going first," Mimi whispered, before going to the back of the crowd so she wouldn't be called on first. McHallyboo took out a sheet of paper.

Dry Bones: _I secretly have a fear of heights…and I didn't want to bring that up to the others. But yeah, I just didn't know how this game would work out._

"Your order was determined by how you entered the building at the beginning of this game," announced McHallyboo. "I take the first two people, then the last, then first…anyways, the first player up will be Il Piantissimo." Everyone turned to the masked player, who he himself didn't expect to be called upon so quickly.

"What!" he sputtered with surprise, then coughed and went back to regain his posture. "Hmm, I thought we were able to select our order of jumping."

"You'll set a perfect example for us," said Tiny Kong, almost delighted that the player was to jump first. The game was about to begin, and the rest of the players were ushered back a good fifteen to twenty feet away from the edge of the gap.

* * *

**JUMP 1: Piantissimo**

Walking their way over, McHallyboo and Piantissimo found themselves standing at the edge of the cliff side. Making his way right to the edge, Piantissimo peered over the edge.

"Quite a fall," said the player, looking down at the two-hundred feet below him of emptiness. The bottom was visible, but it was a distance too far to be feeling unnervous, even for Piantissimo.

"Nervous for being the first jumper?" McHallyboo asked him.

"I always have this thing in life where I'm always first, so I'm going to go ahead with it," said Piantissimo. "Statement, please."

"Okay," said McHallyboo. "These statements all have to do with life in general." He pulled out a card, and then cleared his voice.

"_There are six-hundred and six minutes in 10 hours and 6 minutes_," read McHallyboo. "If you believe it's false, stay with me. If you believe it's true…there's only one other option."

"Hmm." Piantissimo paused for a bit, thinking. After a small while, he faced the host. He thought for a few seconds more, and then answered.

"True," he said. He faced with McHallyboo.

"I'm ready." And with little warning, almost like diving into a swimming people, he jumped into the gap. The players back at the edge of the gap all screamed, almost in unison.

"HE JUMPED OFF!" screamed Mimi. "Where did he go?!" The other players could not help but share her same feeling of panic.

"Didn't even warn us," muttered Dry Bones. "He just…jumped."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on!" spoke up Bowser Jr, turning to the other players. "He could have conferred with us first, whether the statement was right or not! Am I right?" The players looked at him, and then thought to themselves.

"He had the ability to," Eclair spoke up, remembering. "I believe we should do that from now on."

Flurrie: _It was definitely suspicious that Piantissimo just bit the bullet and went for it, especially since he could have asked us for confirmation_ _on his answer_ _before jumping._

* * *

It was Flurrie's turn for Round 2, as the cloud spirit player followed McHallyboo to the edge of the cliff.

"Good luck, Flurrie!" shouted out Dashell. "Pride for the Paper Mario partners." Flurrie looked at the others, giving out an air kiss before leaving the crowd of players to go with McHallyboo.

"Oh, what have I gotten myself into," she said, smiling with light misfortune.

* * *

**JUMP 2: Flurrie**

"Flurrie, so I'm aware that your falling ability is the same as everyone else in this game," the host repeated. "Fortunately, you do not float when you fall. We've encountered this dilemma with players in the past. So I'm grateful this mission works for you as well!"

"Mm, well well," said Flurrie, "I wish I could say the same as well, that I'm grateful this mission works for me." She stood next to McHallyboo.

"Are you ready for your statement?" said McHallyboo.

"As ever as I will be," Flurrie stated. McHallyboo shuffled through his cards, and pulled one out.

"_The heart is the strongest muscle in the world,"_ read McHallyboo. Flurrie thought for a second.

"Yes…I yes, I believe that's right," she stated, and then looked over the edge. "It is true…yes. I am ready." All of a sudden, she remembered the given ability to communicate with the other players.

"Players," Flurrie called out to the eight players behind her, as they immediately turned to her attention. "I have a statement that says that the heart is the strongest muscle in the body. I believe that is a statement that is truer than ever. Is it right?"

"No wait…that's wrong!" shouted Bowser Jr. "I took anatomy! The heart isn't the strongest muscle. It's something else!"

"Oh," said Flurrie, looking flustered. "What is the strongest muscle then?"

"It's…it's…I don't remember," Bowser Jr. said, furiously thinking. "How am I supposed to remember! I just know it isn't the strongest muscle." Flurrie looked perplexed.

Dashell: _Bowser Jr, even if he happened to be right about the heart not being the strongest muscle, still was uncertain in the answer himself. So it put doubt into Flurrie's mind. Definitely some suspicious activity right there._

"I would just go with what he says," Dashell said out to her. "He has more of an idea than any of us others." Flurrie turned and looked back at the host.

"I will not jump," she stated, sighing. "I believe the statement is a false statement." Flurrie stepped back with the host from the edge of the cliff.

"So if the statement was true, the decision is lost," McHallyboo said to her. "Hopefully it was not. Please use the side bridge to cross this gap." He pointed to an area to their side.

"Side bridge…" Flurrie repeated, and saw that on right left side of the gap, a small ledge pathway was present, most likely the path meant for individuals to take to cross the gap. Flurrie, with most careful actions, went to the bridge and safely made her way to the other end.

Flurrie: _I had wanted to jump, because I truthfully and willingly I believed that my statement was true. I would discover afterwards that no, it was not true, but I still regret my action of being influenced by other people._

* * *

Two players had made their choices.

"I would like to introduce the third jumper of this game to be…" The players waited nervously as McHallyboo stumbled with taking out the paper. Each of them held their breaths.

"Tiny Kong." Tiny Kong, a little surprised, shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I'd have to go anyways, she said, and never the less, went ahead to follow the host.

* * *

**JUMP 3: Tiny Kong**

"Are you ready, Tiny Kong?" said the host, looking at the Kong-related player.

"Yeah, I mean, I signed up for this…an adventure" she said, looking over the gap with a nervous look. She faced the host, smiling.

"But you know what: I'm not going to back out now. So let's go for it!" McHallyboo pulled out a card.

"Okay, this is your statement…'_According to a scientist, a cucumber is a vegetable'._" Tiny thought for a bit, then shook her head, not knowing the answer.

"A cucumber is a vegetable or not?" she asked, turning around to the others who were crowded behind her. Everyone, almost immediately, turned to Zess T.

"Oh, well, by all means," the chef started at first, but then she hesitated a little bit before speaking again.

"I have been grown and raised, knowing it was vegetable and being told it was a vegetable," Zesss said carefully, "but, you know what. Take it with a grain of salt. But I honestly believe a cucumber is a vegetable." Everyone nodded, not knowing any better.

Mimi: _Zess T. seemed like the expert in our group. If she is the Mole...what a great Mole she would be._

"If it's wrong, the players can't blame me," said Tiny, "so that's a good thing. I'm going to stick with the answer that a cucumber is a vegetable. I'm jumping."

"Jumping off into the gap?" confirmed McHallyboo. Tiny closed her eyes, then let out a silent "yes" before taking her stance next to the edge.

"Any time you're ready," said the host. Tiny looked over the edge, and closed her eyes.

"I can't…I can't believe I'm doing this," she said, finding small tears form in her eyes as she laughed with her statement. "I can't believe I'm about to jump off a cliff. This…this is terrifying."

"As terrifying as it is, just remember, it is a _virtual_ cliff," McHallyboo corrected with reassurance. "Imagination can be strong." Tiny nodded, feeling just slightly better, if at all. She took another breath.

"Okay. Here goes." Tiny crossed her arms, and a split second later, the player had made her decision, jumping off the ledge simultaneously with a scream that rang throughout her fall. In less than five seconds, her body had performed two-hundred feet of free falling, into the virtual abyss created by the mystery of the building's world.

Tiny Kong: _Let me just tell you that it was terrifying. I never, ever want to do something like that again. When I reached the bottom, I couldn't even remember what had happened, so I guess that was the good thing._ _It was just…I can't believe I did that._ _It's all for the team._

* * *

"So!" said McHallyboo, going back to the others. "This next jump will be special. I forgot to mention that there will be…tandem skydiving." The host laughed at his own joke in reference to last season.

"What is the meaning of the statement?" Eclair asked.

"It means, that the 4th and 5th players to jump, and the 7th and 8th players to jump, will jump together in pairs!" McHallyboo announced. "This puts the word 'teamwork' into this game more than before." The players faced each other, and two thoughts immediately raced through their head: a list of people that they would have no trouble in jumping alongside with, and a list of people they didn't, at any cost, want to jump with at all.

"Every pair jump will either count as two correct choices, or two wrong choices," said McHallyboo. "Consider this a little risky gambling."

"Or being very well-done over by the Mole," said Mimi.

"The next pair of people…Dashell and Princess Eclair!" The two players looked at each other, almost approvingly, and then went their way to follow McHallyboo to the edge of the cliff.

* * *

**JUMP 4: Eclair and Dashell**

"So, the first pair to jump!" said McHallyboo, looking at the two players. "How do you feel jumping together?"

"Well, jumping with a pretty girl, no complaints," Dashell said casually. Eclair blushed, surprised.

"I must thank you for your compliment," Eclair replied, "but yes, I feel confidence in the choice we will make." McHallyboo took out the card with the statement.

Eclair: _Dashell may appear suspicious to other people, but for a reason, I have trust in him. I feel that in this game, it is very vital to make a friend._

"_The average human breathes 1 trillion times a year,"_ McHallyboo read. Both Dashell and Eclair turned to each other.

"I apologize that it is a human-based question," Eclair said apologetically.

"Oh, no worries," Dashel replied. "I used to be a human myself, actually." As Eclair's eyes lit with surprise, Dashell turned to the players back at the base.

"Hey!" he shouted. "How many breaths does a human take? More or less than a trillion?"

"Breaths…I have no idea," said Bowser Jr. The players turned to each other, waiting for someone to give an answer.

"Anyone?" repeated Dashell. All of a sudden, it was Snifit who spoke up from the group.

"A trillion seems like too big number," Snifit stated. Then he paused.

"But…I am not sure." The two players at the edge of the gap looked back at the abyss below them.

"Fifteen seconds." McHallyboo looked at his watch.

"Oh, we are of timed decision," Eclair recalled, then looked at Dashell. "I do not know. Shall we decide?"

"It's up to you," Dashell said. "You're still human. I'm not." Eclair smiled, then thought and closed her eyes.

"It is a statement that seems so absurd…that it has most probability of being true," Eclair decided. "That is my final answer."

"I just wanted to jump and get it over with," said Dashell. McHallyboo smiled, knowing their decision.

"So, the second question is, are you mentally and physically ready to jump?" the host asked them both.

"Yes," said the princess, "but I will avoid the action of peeking over the edge before jumping." She turned to Dashell, who shrugged.

"You know, man, I'm ready," he said to McHallyboo. "But I'm telling you, if we jump and we do our decision for nothing, someone is going down." McHallyboo chuckled.

"Off you two go." Dashell and Eclair stepped two steps closer to the edge, and eventually, their feet were inches away from the cliff's edge.

"We'll jump…in three…"

"Two," said Eclair. The two players, about to complete their extreme first mission of the entire game, grabbed each other's hands as they prepared to jump.

"One…"

"GO!"

* * *

**And the game kicks off! Season 3 begins, and indeed, what a twist on location!**

**The cast was a pick of wonder and took a small while to assemble. But they seem to be getting along quite nicely! ...well, that is just opinion, hehe.**

**But just who is the Mole? Who is the traitor that is meant to sabotage this game?!**

**Anyways! Please review! Your initial thoughts, reflections, and if you dare so, your suspicions on who the Mole might be ; ) Part 2 shall update sometime in the early next week! Stay tuned!**


	2. In the Mole's World

**Part 2 of Episode 1! Just how does Mission 1 continue and end? And where do the players head off to next?**

**Thank you to my first reviewers! You have kept this story alive and inspired me once again to continue! : )**

* * *

_**Anyways, some of you might have missed it because I had updated the first chapter late, but I will either continue this third season or not continue, depending on how many reviews I get through the first episode of this story. Once Episode 1 is completed, I will make a final decision to keep this season or not. If you read my latest chapter in "The Mole: Saboteur's Island", you'll see some reasons why I was hesitant on making this 3rd season.**_

_**But! The truth is, the purpose of me creating this story is for a gift for the readers :) So if enough people want this third season to continue, than I will continue writing this happily! My love goes out to you guys!**_

_**So that is all I ask! To new and old readers alike, don't be afraid to shout out a review! Your feelings, favorite players, and suspects for this game are more than appreciated to hear! Especially to new readers. In fact, I really want to know all of your suspects. This is almost like a whole psychological test, to see who readers suspect (insert crazy lab noises here). And in fact, and frighteningly, some of you may actually be right in your guess ; )**_

* * *

**Anyways, irrelevant for the time being. To everyone who read Part 1, I know you all want to see one of the angry players pushing McHallyboo off from the cliff for his evil mission idea.**

**Who is the Mole? **

**Enjoy Part 2!**

* * *

**EPISODE 1 (PART 2)**

"Five down. Brave souls, indeed." Piantissimo, Flurrie, Tiny Kong, Dashell, and Princess Éclair had all made their individual, respective decisions. Most of them had jumped off the immense two-hundred foot cliff, committing their leaps of faith in hopes of earning cash for the team. Or possibly, to take money away.

"The next player…will be…" said McHallyboo, going back to the remaining group of people, "Zess T."

"Oh my…" said Mimi. Everyone turned to the elder player, and each of them couldn't help but feel an unavoidable worriedness. But the player to jump, instead of having worry as well, had a keen look of excitement on her face.

"I'm ready to play! Jumping or not," Zess T. said with determination, and she followed McHallyboo to the edge of the gap.

"No way could she be the Mole," Mimi spoke surely, as she saw the elderly toad go off.

"She's got…bones," was all Dry Bones could say.

* * *

**Jump 5: Zess**

"Zess," said McHallyboo, looking at the player with a grin, "it was quite a choice you made, joining this game." She laughed, as she peered over the edge of the gap with the host.

"Well, you know, you just can't let things stop you," she replied. "I knew this game would have hard stuff. And if it's a two-hundred foot cliff, you gotta do it!"

"Here is your statement," said McHallyboo, and he took out a card from his shuffled deck.

"_There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the Earth"._ Zess T. thought for a hard second.

"Huh…well," she said. "There are more stars than grains of sand in the sky. There are more…" She turned to the others.

"There are more stars than grains of sand in the sky!" she said out to them. The players thought.

"I'm not an astrologist," Bowser Jr stated. "So yeah, sorry on this one! Really sorry!"

"Yeah…but I would say that it's true?" Dry Bones said, thinking. "No idea."

"I would think it was false," Mimi thought, but then rolled her eyes uncaringly, "but that is just my opinion."

"It might be false," said Dry Bones. "Or true. I wish there was some sort of shortcut to knowing the answer. Wouldn't that make everything easier?" McHallyboo stopped and turned to the crowd at Dry Bone's spoken line.

"Well, I'm going to go with it as being true, if you're all unsure on this one," answered Zess. "And I'm jumping!" She stepped her way to the edge and closed her eyes.

"Well," said the host, stepping back as the player made her way to the edge slowly. "Are you sure you are determined to-"

"YEEEHAWW!" yelled the fifty-five year old player, and before McHallyboo could give another thought into her head, she jumped from the cliff's edge and into the gap of no return.

"Oh my goodness!" The other players, back at the edge, couldn't help but clap and cheer for the player's action.

Mimi: _No old lady would ever do something like that, for the fun of a game._

Bowser Jr: _But come to think of it: if Zess was the Mole, there's no better role than to be the innocent elderly lady, getting cheers for everything she did. I'd be a little suspicious._

* * *

"Snifit," called McHallyboo.

**JUMP 6:** **Snifit**

The player in the red suit followed McHallyboo to the edge of the cliff, walking a bit awkwardly as he followed the host for his round. As the player left, the last three players on the cliff, Bowser Jr, Mimi, and Dry Bones, all turned to each other, a little odd-faced.

"Have you heard him talk at all yet?" whispered Bowser Jr, pointing to the player on the edge who was discussing with McHallyboo. "I don't even remember him talking at all this entire game…and that scares me."

"I talked to him while we were in the lobby…err, virtual lobby," Dry Bones spoke. "And something from him just gives me a strange vibe." He remembered his encounter with the player in the game's initial beginning.

"Do you think he could be the Mole?" Mimi asked in wonder. "Or rather…" She turned to face her two teammates directly and slyly.

"Who do you both think the Mole is?" she asked them.

"I think it could either be..." Dry Bones began. "Hard to decide, but... Tiny or Piantissimo are my top two, for reasons unknown. I'm really going to try and get on all their tracks after this first game is over. But they are my three biggest suspects." He shrugged.

"I think it could be Flurrie…or even Zess T," said Bowser Jr. "You would suspect them the least." The two others pondered a bit.

"Flurrie would make a good Mole," Mimi thought. "It just could be her. She's been trying to get the group all social together and everything."

"And Zess, I mean," said Dry Bones. "It's kinda of scary, knowing they could be the Mole."

"One of YOU two could be it," Mimi reminded them all. Before Bowser Jr. or Dry Bones could protest, they all stopped, seeing Snifit shaking his head to the host.

"You are deciding to not jump?" said McHallyboo to the player in front of him. Snifit shook his head again, but in confirmation.

"Please follow the path of the background bridge," said McHallyboo, pointing in the different direction to the player. Snifit followed the same path Flurrie had taken, several jumps back.

Snifit: _The game was a little difficult._

* * *

The host returned back to the rest of the remaining three players, who waited for him anxiously.

"Our next jump will be another pair jump," he announced, and the remaining players could only wonder which two of them would have to jump together, and which one of them would be left on the top of the cliff alone.

"I will need…Mimi and Dry Bones," said the host from the list, motioning them to come with him. "Come, come. You two will make a fateful decision together." Leaving Bowser Jr. behind, the two players went off with the host.

* * *

**JUMP 7:** **Mimi and Dry Bones**

"Well, we're going to decide, and do it right," said Mimi, in a high but resolute voice. "No backing out, because that's what a little scared child would do. Right, Dry Bones?"

"Yeah, so when you give us the statement and start timing us, McHallyboo, can we know when you start to time it?" asked Dry Bones, facing the host with a false smile of excitement.

"It will start when I say the statement," said McHallyboo blankly. "Ready?" The two of them nodded, one of them obviously less ready than the other.

"_All players entered the room of the lobby within an hour,"_ read McHallyboo from his paper. The two players looked at each other.

"I think it…might have been true," state Dry Bones. Mimi nodded with no reluctance.

"I was going to suggest that too," Mimi said. "It's so silly if we really all did that long to enter the room. Let's jump!"

"Okay, hold it," said Dry Bones, finally speaking up in a full voice. "I was even planning from the beginning not to jump. I kind of decided…that…I'm not…going to…jump." Mimi's stare was unbelieving.

"WHAAAT?" demanded Mimi, looking at him incredulously. "You're not…jumping?"

"You have to understand that," Dry Bones started with defense, "I was telling myself from the beginning that I wasn't going to jump. I had decided that…in my head?"

"You...mole mole mole mole mole," she said, in both an annoyed and accusatory voice. "And even if the answer is right, you still won't jump? Please tell me this is all a mean joke!"

"Come on, I'm not trying to sabotage!" Dry Bones simply protested. "Take it easy on me." The two of them didn't say anything for a moment, but then Dry Bones just shook his head again.

"My partner is a coward," Mimi sulked, turning to the host. "I'm jumping, and he's not even doing it! And I'm just a dainty little girl." She walked towards the edge of the gap, tossing her head to back to look at her ex-jumping partner before leaping over the edge.

"I'm not afraid to cry over a few bones," she said, and she jumped. However, forgetting how far the fall was, Mimi's piercing scream rang through the virtual world as she fell. All three males at the edge of their cliff covered their ears at the sound of the screaming, horrified shape-shifter during her fall of terror. McHallyboo and Dry Bones awkwardly looked at each other.

"So, you do have the option to take a different opinion than your part had," McHallyboo explained to him. "Would you like to?" Dry Bones actually seemed surprised.

"Yeah…as if I would have taken another choice," Dry Bones said with relief, and he quickly followed suit on where the other previous non-jumpers had taken their paths.

Mimi: _Hmm! I'm embarrassed to even think that Dry Bones was one of the best players here. I'm the only one who can really win this game, it appears._

Dry Bones: _First mission, and people are already going to be suspecting me. And for something that I don't even deserve it for. Natural fear is just normal. I can't wait to see what Mimi's afraid of._

* * *

**JUMP 8:** **Bowser Jr.**

The last player to make his decision and the host both stood at the top of the gap's fall. It was a long way to the bottom, but the drop was actually the last thing on the mind of Bowser's son.

"So," Bowser Jr. brought up without hesitation, "What does my exemption offer entail?"

"Ah, yes!" McHallyboo said out loud, smiling brilliantly. "Your exemption offer! It is…nothing. There is no exemption offer." Bowser Jr.'s face immediately dropped.

"But, but…I'm the last player to jump," he said, almost in a whiny voice. "I thought my round was a special! I thought was supposed to get an offer to the next round for free." The host actually patted the player on the back.

"There, there," the host said. "I believe you have been too influenced by the past seasons." The player only folded his arms in disappointment.

"But, this last jump is a bit tricky," McHallyboo went on. "Remember that rule I stated in the beginning, saying that the answer is closest to your name?" Bowser Jr. looked at the host, and then nodded, but not understanding anything.

"That rule…is not present here," McHallyboo explained. Bowser Jr. only blinked.

"Why is this last round unnecessarily confusing?" asked Bowser Jr, but he shook his head. "Bring on the statement. I'm ready to win the game for the others!"

"Here goes," the host said, as he read the final card statement out loud.

"_This whole, fictional world is false…but the feelings that are produced in this game, including the fear produced from falling a fictional, virtually-created fall…are not figments from technology. They are real."_ Bowser Jr. looked down for a second.

"Hmm…that's a tough question, but," Bowser Jr. decided, "but, I'm gonna go with…"

He thought for one more second. "True. It just doesn't seem false to me."

"You sound certain," said McHallyboo. "Are you sure on your choice?" The player nodded.

Bowser Jr: _Last person to jump...I'll either look the Mole if I mess up, or look like a hero. Which one did I want? So that's what I decided on._

"Then let it be, player." Bowser Jr. took his stance alone, the last one left on the cliff. He prepared for his jump, one foot close back from the edge and the other foot nearly off from the grassy terrain.

"Okay…here I come, players!

And Bowser Jr. jumped off the cliff, his figure being so tiny to the colossal fall that awaited him. He plummeted, over two-hundred feet to the ground, and reach the lowest ground existing in the virtual world of Lineland Road within seconds passed.

"Mission 1," McHallyboo announced, alone at the top of the cliff with a smile, watching Bowser Jr. plummet, "has finished with a jumping start. Yet again."

* * *

The players were gathered in an area that was not far from where they had begun the first mission of the game. The gap was a safe distance away from them all, but this time, they were all on the other side. They had all crossed the chasm safely…in different methods.

"Elaborate on the jumps," Flurrie said with interest, looking the players who had made the leaps of truth. "I would like to hear what thrills you all had to face on the way down. Was it frightening?"

"At the bottom of that cliff…an excellent surprise," remembered Piantissimo. "You were saved from death at the last second! My body simply floated. You would have known, too, if you had jumped."

"But my statement was false, so I did not have to," Flurrie explained.

"My jump was scary," said Tiny Kong, shaking from her memory of her plummet. "I thought I was going to go splat when I reached the bottom. That was beyond scary, just jumping from the top." She shook her head, trying to get the thought of the fall out.

"And before we knew it, there was a nice cloud that brought us back all the way to the top," said Zess T, laughing from the whole event. "It was a thrill ride, to say the least."

"Yes, and I'm sure everyone who jumped enjoyed it," Mimi said, glaring at the individual besides her. "I know I did. And I'm certain that you lost money because of your chicken-chicken move." Some of the earlier jumped turned to them, not knowing the whole story. In fact, they were all waiting for McHallyboo's announcement for the results from their game.

"Good job!" McHallyboo said, finally reaching the other side of the gap, his figure on a floating cumulus-looking cloud. He stepped off the air-bourne vehicle, as the players were almost happy to see him.

"How do you think you all did?" The players really had no answer.

"Like I said before," McHallyboo said to the entire group of players, "if you had been able to get half of the leaps correct, then you will earn some money, valued at 10,000 coins. Six leaps correct, and I give you 15,000 coins. But if seven out of the ten decisions were correctly made in this game, then you win the full money. I will grant you all the total of 20,000 coins."

"20,000…we need that," said Tiny. The players all crossed their fingers, hoping that they had won a significant amount of money for their mission. If any.

"Piantissimo…you jumped," McHallyboo said, pointing to the first player to take his action, "believing that your statement was a true one."

"Well, now that I look back," the athlete said, immediately reminiscing, "I did take a fast action on that choice."

"Umm, you didn't confer with any of us, sweetie," Flurrie spoke up, as the other immediately remembered in unison. "I believe you would have made a better decision if you had asked the group's opinion before you had made a decision."

"Why is that suspicious?" Piantissimo argued. "Maybe the Mole would have steered my direction off the right answer? You, perhaps?" Flurrie ignored him.

"And Flurrie, in contrast, it seems like you were influenced a large amount by the group," McHallyboo said, as the cloud spirit looked slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I suppose I did," she said, "however, I had believed my statement to be the opposite of what my decision resulted in."

Dashell: _Now that I look at it, Flurrie was all suspicious as well. She was all like, "I wanted to do this, but the group made me do that". Knowing how the Mole acts, they like to pinpoint blame on other people._

"I believe it was both good that you, Piantissimo, listened to yourself, and that you, Flurrie, listened to the crowd. Because you both made the right decisions." The group cheered, as Piantissimo looked surprised, then pleased.

"Well well, no fuss then," Flurrie said, relieved.

**CORRECT LEAPS: 2/2**

"Tiny Kong," said McHallyboo. "You decided that your statement was a true one…"

"The one about the cucumber," said Tiny, nodding. "I conferred with the group, and guess decided on myself too, for that one."

"That statement was indeed…false," said McHallyboo, as Tiny looked surprised, turning to the others.

"Oh my…I believe I was wrong," said Zess, looking down at the ground momentarily.

Tiny Kong: _I guess I jumped for nothing…but I immediately remembered Zess T and her confidence in her answer._

Bowser Jr: _When it comes to Tiny's round, there was a lot of suspicion. Dry Bones, himself, was a horticulturist! Someone who studies food production and cultivation. Why didn't he speak up when the cucumber question came up? There was definitely something going on in Jump 3._

**CORRECT LEAPS: 2/3**

"Dashell and Éclair…you both made your decision together as the first pair jump," McHallyboo said. "And, you both jumped! Believing your statement was correct."

"Yep, and we both plummeted and cried at equally same decibel levels," said the Pixl, as the princess lightly smiled with humor.

"You had both made a…wrong decision," the host announced to them, as both their faces dropped, along with the group's.

"Wrong?" said Dashell, immediately surprised.

"Well…perhaps it would not have been as fun if we had not jumped," the princess spoke positively. Dashell grinned, but even still, he felt guilt-ridden.

Piantissimo: _Dashell… he is indeed a questionable character. He has very cool attitude coming from him most of the time, but he does not seem like the Mole. But maybe there is something deeper in his exterior we are not seeing at first._

**CORRECT LEAPS: 2/5**

"Zess," said the host, turning to the chef. "You had made the courageous act of jumping off the high cliff…and what a fall it was."

"Yes," she said, "and I cannot compare it to anything that I've done before in my many years of living," she said with a chortle.

"And I'm happy to say, it was a correct decision," McHallyboo spoke, as the players all cheered, much with Zess's own loud cheer as well.

"Finally, back on the right track," Mimi said, her voice lessened in annoyance and back to a pleased level.

**CORRECT LEAPS: 3/6**

"Okay, who was next…, oh, Snifit," said McHallyboo, looking at the player, then down at his card.

"You decided to not jump…but you were supposed to jump," the host explained. "I am sorry." The player simply shrugged.

"Wait, do we find out what his question was?" Dry Bones asked out loud, but the host shrugged off the player's request and went on.

**CORRECT LEAPS: 3/7**

"At this rate, it is impossible to win the full twenty-thousand coins," announced McHallyboo, as some of the players' faces displayed heavy disappointment. "My greatest apologies. But, you can still win money, depending on how these last results had gone." The players listened eagerly to the final choices and announcements of the game, resulting from the last three players.

"Mimi, and Dry Bones," the host said. "You two were actually a pair for the seventh jump. However, you made the interesting choice of making…separate decisions?"

"Let meeee tell the story," Mimi said pretentiously, before Dry Bones could even open his mouth. "We both knew that the statement was false. But Dry Bones, who knew that the statement was false as well, decided not to jump! That was sabotage right there, but not only that, he made me jump alone." She glanced another evil glare at Dry Bones.

"I just wanted to point out the fact that…the statement was actually false," said McHallyboo. Mimi's mouth dropped, flabbergasted, obviously at a loss of words. Some of the players began to chuckle.

"Oh, so I guess I wasn't the one to sabotage this game," Dry Bones said, looking a little triumphantly at his partner.

"You're just still so…Moley!" Mimi replied, refusing to give up her stance, even though she had been proven wrong.

Flurrie:_ These little outbursts…Mimi does a really good job_ _at making an entire ordeal out of a little thing. My, my, what a great Mole she would be, being both innocent and suspicious at the same time. Just a great one._

**CORRECT LEAPS: 4/9**

"The money…really depends on this," McHallyboo said, as all eyes turned to the last player to leave the top of the cliff: Bowser Jr.

"Aww man, really?" said the player, looking less than comfortable. "Why couldn't I have gone first, or second, or third?"

"I just wanted to announce one thing," said McHallyboo, "before I release the answer to Bowser Jr's choice. There was a shortcut to this game that I mentioned in the rules. A shortcut...that would have put all of your worrying to ease."

"There…was a shortcut?" Dashell wondered. Everyone's attention immediately perked up. They even turned to face one another to see if any one of them had discovered the hint that McHallyboo was divulging to them.

* * *

_(During McHallyboo's mission explanation)_

_"Overall, you yourself will know the best answer, on your own," McHallyboo said cryptically. "You know your name. And know which it is closer to: true or false."_

_The players looked at the host, thinking heavily._

* * *

"Yes. Your answers were all hidden in your names." The players seemed more stunned than ever.

"Whichever your name was closest to in the alphabet," explained McHallyboo, " to either the word 'True' or 'False', was the answer to your statement." He turned to the first player: Piantissimo.

"Your statement was true because your name in this game, with P, is closer to the letter T, for 'True', in the alphabet," said the host. He then pointed to Flurrie. "And your name begins with F, closer than ever to the word 'False." As the players realized that it was the truth, McHallyboo turned to the pairs of players.

"Combined," McHallyboo elaborated, turning to Dashell and Éclair. "Both your names were closer to "False" than "True". And for Mimi and Dry Bones, the same rule was applied. For Zess…" He turned to the player who jumped fifth.

"Both letters, T and F, were equally away from Z, so it was random for you individually," the host said.

"How on earth were any of us able to get that clue?" Piantissimo scoffed.

"Everything is of significance," Éclair realized, slowly knowing the game's importance. "Every word must be listened to. We overlook things we should not." She looked at the others, who nodded too in agreement.

"And if we are not careful, then we must pay," she said, confidently.

"I should have just been made the Mole of this game," said Piantissimo, almost jokingly, "so that way, I wouldn't have to worry about such details." McHallyboo coughed and continued on.

"For you, young sir," said the host, looking at Bowser Junior, "the rule did not apply to you. It was up for grabs. You jumped…saying that your statement was true." The remaining players all stood silent, including Bowser Jr.

"And it was…"

Flurrie: _Knowing that the Mole is in this game…you cannot expect to win money on everything we come across_.

"A true statement," McHallyboo said grandly. "I award the team with ten-thousand coins! Congratulations!" The players all gave out shouts of victory: Ten-thousand coins, not zero, were achieved in the first game of "The Mole".

"Yes!" said Bowser Jr triumphantly as he received high-fives from some of the players. The players were immensely gratified with their first win.

**Team Pot**

_10,000 coins_

"Cheers, to the non-Moles!" Dry Bones shouted. "In other words, everyone except for the Mole, that is." He looked at the rest of the players with victory.

"I suppose the Mole had a small win, but a lose in this game as well?" Tiny spoke.

"The Mole has not conquered us," said Zess, nodding with appreciation.

"The Mole was both successful and unsuccessful in this game," McHallyboo told them all. He turned around, looking back at the gap that many of them had jumped into to win the cash.

"This is just the beginning of your entire game. This gap…this ominous, terrifying gap," the host warned them all, as the players couldn't help but look back at the large chasm behind them as well.

"This insignificant gap is just the first of many large obstacles that you will be facing in this game. This game will get trickier and more difficult. So players…be prepared."

The players, though filled with excitement, had no choice but to take in the host's words. It truly was just the beginning of the game.

* * *

Flurrie: _My, well, a nice start indeed. Ten thousand coins. It was not twenty, but what can we argue? I'm afraid the Mole will have to step up their game from now on._

Tiny Kong: _I really can't grasp the concept of this game. It's just sabotage, left and right! Anyone can be the Mole._

Dashell: _One second, it's a little turtle student. The next second, an old toad._ _That's how my mind is going with suspicions. It could be any of us ten._

Dry Bones: _Everyone is this game…they're literally just shouting indirectly, "Hey, I'm the Mole! Vote for me." There really ARE some suspicious things going on already, and the first mission had just ended._

Mimi: _Clearly, it was suspicious that some people jumped into the gap when they weren't supposed to jump. And to the others who didn't jump: silly them, for being such cowards, as well as the Mole. It appears I am the only genuine player here._

Piantissimo: _I said I would jump, and then I jumped. I didn't sabotage. Really, what more of a reason is there to suspect me, like some of the others have already begun doing so? Absurd. Simply absurd that others are beginning to suspect me._

Zess: _I'm just taking this game as it is. If someone suspicious comes along, and I think they are the Mole, so be it! I will suspect them, and put them on the top of my suspects list!_

Éclair: _The psychology of this game is very daunting. You must obtain trust, and decide which people to give your trust to. It is a discomforting task that we must all decide for ourselves in the end._

Bowser Jr.: _Really, like no one is safe in this game. But what did we expect coming here? Everyone is a glaring red flag of suspicion. I'm out to get the Mole!_

* * *

The players walked forwards within the green world of Lineland Road, not knowing where they would come across next in their adventure of sabotage. But the players did not expect the atmosphere to change instantaneously. After thirty minutes, they began to see minute by minute the green in the atmosphere disappear, and as grains of sand came into view, they slowly realized that they were entering into the blistering lands of a desert. Their world was changing.

"It's sooo hot," Mimi complained. "Where are we? McHallyboo, where on Earth are you bringing us!" The players felt like they were lead into the midst of a sandy dimension.

"Where has the green gone?" Éclair wondered, watching carefully to not get sand into her shoes. "Is this how Lineland Road truly is?" The players looked above them: the image above their heads did not look like a large multitude of yellow pixels on a ceiling. Shining brilliantly across the land, it was with no doubt the exact replica of the Sun, shining luminously but fiercely above them.

"Sun, shine," McHallyboo said grandly.

"So you rig the world to change into something completely different?" Piantissimo said almost in an unimpressed voice.

"No," the host said, confused. "This is how Lineland road is in real life. Welcome to Yold Desert!" The players, as they continued walking, looked around in wonder. They reached a large mountain dune, and all at the same time, they continued to climb it up.

"Yep," Dashell stated, having no trouble travelling up the sand mountain compared to the other players. "One second, grass. The next second, desert. I would know. I used to walk these lands…well, you know. With Mario."

"Ah, so you've been here before," Dry Bones said, trying to kick against the sliding sand. "That makes perfect sense, if you were the Mole."

"Remember what I said in the beginning of this game, man?" Dashell said, almost with caution. "If you vote for me…you're making a mistake. You really are."

"Okay, okay," said Dry Bones defensibly. "I didn't accuse you."

"No hard feelings," Dashell wanted to reconfirm with his teammate. "I'm sure it's your second-nature to suspect people in this game...along with everyone else. We're not here to make friends, man."

"It is also second-nature for individuals to be friends with one another," Eclair spoke, then with realization, looked at Dashell. "Human nature, as well." Dashell glanced at the princess, who smiled and turned away. He looked back ahead, smiling a bit.

"Okay, so we're friends now," Dry Bones confirmed, sticking out a hand to Dashell with a nervous smile.

"Everyone's accusing each other of being the Mole," Tiny Kong, shaking her head, "when the real Mole is just laughing." Dry Bones and Dashell looked at each other. The players and the host continued to huff up the hill.

"Ah, here we are," said McHallyboo, as they all finally reached the top of the sand mountain they had taken their time to climb.

Ahead of them, a small piece civilization existed. It was almost like a series of many large tents stretched across the sand land that waited ahead of the players, all different in colors and providing comfort to the stranded players who viewed the small land of life.

"A bazaar, or a small town…in the middle of the sand world…" said Zess with wonder. "I'll be!"

"Well, if it involves shopping," Mimi said excitedly, "then I'm up for it! I'm so tired of all this Mole-stuff already." She reached into her wallet pocket.

"Welcome to the newly established pit stop for travelling tourists," said McHallyboo, relieved himself, "set in the middle of Yold Desert to comfort people in this sandy land." He pointed to one of the tents that was placed in the front of the crowd of shelters.

"And that is where we will all be sharing something fabulous together," McHallyboo said, pointing.

"And, what would that be?" Flurrie asked with curiosity.

"Lunch!"

* * *

The players ate the wonderfully exotic meal that was set before them, along with downing as a whole group a plethora of jugs of water. The heat in the restaurant tent was undoubtedly still present, but the tent had an interior designed so luxuriously build and close to a 5-star restaurant that the players could barely mind.

"My my…this is quite classy food for a desert tent," said Flurrie, taking a bowl being passed around. Shish kebabs and similar meat-based dishes littered numerous plates in the center of the table, and a magnificent bowl holding a plethora of falafels was being picked off from and eaten, until it was already half empty.

"Is this calamari?" said Mimi, chewing on something that she didn't like. "Yuck!"

"Well, if that's a first!" Zess said, completely surprised. "Calamari is a delicacy. How can you not like it?"

"Usually, I choose what I want to eat...on my own adventures," Mimi said, her plate not having as much food as the others. She was indeed a picky eater.

"Calamari...an Egyptian delicacy too," said McHallyboo, shoving in a dry mixture of chopped nuts onto his plate. "All these dishes are Egyptian cuisine. We are in a desert, after all."

"This food...it is fit for a grand king," Éclair spoke appreciatively.

"Yeah, it's a pleasure to be eating here," said Bowser Jr, then added, "Even with the Mole at our table."

"Dessert time, in the desert," said the owner of the tent restaurant, and he served a large plate of tan-colored macarons to the players. All ten players immediately wolfed down the dessert plate with pleasure.

"You see…I can't help but wonder," said Dry Bones, "if the food on this table is real or not." Nobody else seemed to care but him.

"Does it seem real?" McHallyboo asked him.

"Of course, but…" Dry Bones stopped talking, knowing that McHallyboo wouldn't finish the rest of the conversation.

"I think we should all just sit back, and relax," Bowser Jr. said, his mouth full of macarons. "The food's safe. My stomach was growling, and now it's not anymore." In a slight moment, he chuckled.

"I'm already beginning to like this game." The other players looked at him.

"Wow, you've changed," said Mimi, giggling a little. "I thought you weren't going to like this game at all. Being so evil and all."

"Said who?" Bowser Jr. said, annoyed but shrugging off the player's words.

"Yeah, I'm enjoying this game too...surprisingly" Tiny said truthfully. "Even though the first mission was anything but easy, I like these first moments too."

"Hah. I am not enjoying this game," Piantissimo said, who barely touched his food. "In fact, I do not think I will ever enjoy it, as long as the Mole is here!"

"Why is that?" Flurrie inquired. "You seem to hold your own opinion."

"It is of simple reason," said the athlete, as all eyes turned to him. "One of you is just lying every time you speak a sentence in this game." The players around him seemed to pause in eating their meals.

"The Mole's job is to break the team apart," Piantissimo continued, and his statement held truth. "So of course, we must conclude that nothing is good! There is a vile, malevolent individual in this game who is always up to no good. And my job...our job...is to defeat her or him." The players at the table all looked at him. They didn't want to agree or disagre.

"Well, fine, sure" Dashell said, casually with a nod, "I guess you're right. It's our mission, as a team, to defeat the Mole in this world."

"That is a funny thing for you to say," McHallyboo interrupted, who stopped eating his food for a small moment. "Because at this rate, you are all already losing to the Mole. In fact, you probably will be for the rest of this game."

"What makes you say that?" Flurrie asked McHallyboo. Everyone's attention was turned to the host of the game.

"Because this whole world is the Mole's world," McHallyboo told them, with a small, forming grin. "And while you're still in it…and as long as you walk in it…the Mole has all of you under her or his control."

* * *

**Whoa…what a line from McHallyboo. o_o That host must have been through a lot, having endured two seasons of such...deception. So do forgive him.**

**Part 2 over! The players discover more of just how curious and sinister their environment is! In more ways than one. What will the Mole do in the next, upcoming mission of the game?**

**Now, I would like to do something that I had always wanted to do since Season 1 of the Mole…review replies! Yep : ) I shall gladly communicate with every reviewer at random intervals from now on, on random chapters after I see their comment. Thank you to my first reviewers of this story! Now, let's see what I have here…**

* * *

_**sixthsense6**__: Thank you for your review and I am delighted to be back as well! Life is all about risks, so do not feel pulled back from your suspicions at all ; ) Good luck!_

_**Princess Toady:**__ Why, if it isn't the Mole themself! How have you been, my friend/agent in crime? Hehe! Yes, the titles for my previous Mole seasons, I realize, all have hidden meanings that aren't seen until the end. This one is more straight-forward though, but I'm glad you pointed that out!_

_**Moley Koopa:**__ Such funniness is, I did include a moment of dialogue with your list of favorite towards the beginning of the chapter! Coincidentally, actually! But just watch out, because a favorite of someone just might be the Mole as well, heh._

_**The Smart One 64:**__ I was not able to reply to your superb last message, so I'll just respond half-arsed here. Oh goodness, the world malfunctioning …I laughed heavily, imagining how horrified the players and McHallyboo would be if that ever happened at an occasion, lol! Your character reflections were just great to read as well. Oh, and about the clue you found, I sneezed in reply to it (even though you had told me not to xp). Do not feel afraid to state these clues openly whenever you want to in a review! I will not judge them._

_**Champ 15:**__ Champ! If it isn't a pleasure to see you again! And yes, with a wonderful review as well! I appreciate both your Favorites list and Suspects List very much, and in a way, agree with some of your favorite selections (am I allowed to say that, as the author? o-o)_

* * *

**Anyways, like I said previously, your reviews are really important to me for continuing this third season! Readers and reviewers amuck, I thank you all for continuing to be amazing people! Part 3..to arrive soon. –eats a shish kebab-**


	3. Your Vivid Imagination

**Hello all! I would just like to say and butt-in that when I created this third season, I really did not expect people to read it, at least not as much as my previous two seasons. And I was very content with that. Knowing there was such a big gap, it was mostly going to be for myself and the few readers who just wanted another mystery and adventure to follow.**

**SO, I guess I cannot express my utmost elated happiness, shock and just overall humbleness to see each of your reviews and just WOW. Thank you all so much and you all keep the whole story rolling! : ) Each and every one of you is seriously inspiration! The story really does exist because of you guys, and I cannot thank you enough, so I will say, thank you, thank you, and thank you from the bottomest of my hearts and a two-hundred and twenty-six foot cliff and I WILL make this an excellent season for all of you! That is my goal by Episode 7, and I will complete it! So thank you all so much : )**

_**WARNING I LIED! THERE IS A SPOILER TO MY SECOND SEASON, THE MOLE: SABOTEUR'S ISLAND IN THIS CHAPTER!**_

**Anyways! Without further ado, it continues. The players sleep their first night in this game! And even at night, usual and normal things just aren't talked about. In addition, other things occur that are VERY far from normal. But just what exactly…occurs?**

* * *

**EPISODE 1 (PART 3)**

The sun had already set. As the light-blue color in the sky began to get replaced with a darker shade hour by hour, the player realized that they were experiencing their first nighttime in the secretive world. In addition to their changing visuals, the temperature also transformed, the air being noticeably cooler than before and not as blistering as it had earlier in their arrival to Yold Desert.

The desert sand was not hot anymore, and some of the players even had to wear light sweatshirts to keep themselves comfortable. The host led them to the end of the small settlement.

"I know it had been a long day, so I am happy to say that you will be taking rest in the tents around here," announced McHallyboo, leading them to a small row of tent accommodations.

"Tents?" Flurrie said with a look of concern, but then she smiled, amused. "Well, I believe we all must endure them together. Even, at least, the Mole will be quite grouchy in the morning."

"You will surprised how comfortable they are and how similar they are to actual hotel rooms," McHallyboo said. "So really, consider yourselves lucky!"

"I couldn't care less if we have to sleep on beds or sandpaper," Bowser Jr. said non-caringly. "This game drained me, McHallyboo. I'm ready to go to bed!"

"I have rented four tents for you all," the host said to the group. "The first tent will have two males." He gave out a card to Piantissimo and Bowser Jr, who were coincidentally standing together.

"You two get Tent #1," McHallyboo said, handing them the tent rent slip.

"Ah, #1," Tiny Kong noticed, looking mostly towards Piantissimo. "Tent Number 1, Piantissimo. You would get that tent." Piantissimo grabbed the card, shooting a beaming look at her before going off with Bowser Jr.

Piantissimo: _She thinks she is so clever, the relative of Donkey Kong's. But Tiny Kong is no match for my gameplay, even if she mocks me for my superiority. I will be running laps around her in the future_.

"Second tent, I'll have two females…hmm…Zess T. and Flurrie," the host spoke, seeing the two females next to each other before him. "Would you both mind taking the second tent?"

"Not at all!" Zess said, as the two females looked more than content to be sharing living quarters with each other.

"We can talk about many things tonight," Zess said spirit-heartedly. "As long as it isn't about sabotage!" The two older-aged females laughed together.

Flurrie: _It would be interesting to get another perspective of a player in this game. So to have a roommate to talk to, perhaps I can learn something quite tantalizing._

McHallyboo face the others, and then pointed at the remaining tents.

"The rest of you will pair off in threes," he said to them, handing them the two leftover rent cards. "Toiletries are in the clean cubicles behind the tents. Have a good night!" As the host went of, the remaining six players looked at each other.

"Well, I'm off to bed," Tiny said, "and I'm as tired as ever. Night all!" She followed after Mimi, who was already making her way to sleep.

"Yeah, and I'm excited to see these tents," Dry Bones said curiously, as he and Snifit went off to their tent. Dashell turned around, and saw that only Éclair was standing.

"Well…," he said, clearing his throat a bit. "I guess this is a good night."

"Yes…good night," Éclair spoke. She turned away to go to her tent, but then turned around again.

"I must thank you for your reassurance during our jump," she added. "Your confidence...it was much admirable." She turned around again, finally heading back to her own tent. Dashell's mouth couldn't help but form a small smile.

"Thanks," he said, but mostly to no one.

In little time, all players had gone off into their respective sleeping lodgings for the night. The players, and the Mole, needed to sleep. They all had a long day ahead of them.

* * *

"What the!" Bowser Jr. nearly tripped on his own bag when he entered the entrance of the very first tent.

"So this is where our luggage went." But instead of unpacking, the tired player jumped immediately onto one of the bed mattresses on the tent floor and lied down, face down as well.

"But I'm too lazy to unpack! Good night!" Bowser Jr. said swiftly, before anything could change his mind. Piantissimo looked at his roommate, who had so much energy in the beginning of the day.

"Hmm, laziness will not get you far in this game!" said Piantissimo in a dignified voice. Piantissimo picked up his bag from the tent floor, noticing a green thumbprint and the name "Il" printed on its front.

"But, I am too tired as well," he said, shrugging and not unpacking either. Removing his gloves for the night, he put them upon a wooden drawer, a piece of furniture which seemed to be cut straight from a palm tree.

Piantissimo: _He is still a simple student in school. But even still, I must not underestimate his skills. Bowser Jr. was the smartest player in Leap of Truth. Perhaps in this entire game._

"But even if you are not playing," Piantissimo said with advice, "You should have your Mole radar on at all times too. The Mole can be near you any second." He looked up at the direction of their surrounding tents.

"Says you," Bowser Jr. said, rolling over and burying his head under a pillow. "I need rest first, before I can think again." He then frowned, and suddenly got up. Under his mattress he felt something budge against him, as if something had been placed underneath his body.

"What's this…" he said in a confused voice. Piantissimo looked over at his roommate, sensing that he had discovered something crucial.

"It's a…."

"Journal?" Piantissimo said, as the object was uncovered. He was curious, snatching it from his partner's hands suddenly.

"Hey, give it back!" Bowser Jr. snapped. But his foot hit something else under the second mattress adjacent to his own, and he lifted up the covers. Another journal was present.

"Well, I guess we both get our own," the player concluded. On the front of his green-covered journal was a number: #1. The one in Piantissimo's hand had a large, embroidered "#2".

"Do you want to switch, Mr. 1?" Bowser Jr. asked, almost jokingly but non-jokingly as well.

"No need," Piantissimo said, opening the journal in his hands. "Everybody assumes I like to be Number 1 to an inordinate amount." Piantissimo looked down at his journal.

"But sometimes, I simply feel like I'm Number 2. It is too much stress and pressure on me to keep on being on top." He laughed, but this time, it wasn't a boastful laugh. Bowser Jr. sense almost a tint of unhappiness in him.

"But, do not tell anybody that. I need to appear as the most self-assured and confident player here." For a few seconds, the two players simply flipped through their pages, as if something hidden was concealed in their blank pages.

"So weren't you in Season 2?" Bowser Jr. said suddenly, with no warning. Piantissimo immediately faced forwards, not bothering to look at the player besides him. **  
**

"Huh…why!…I would never…" the Pianta-resembling individual stammered. "Preposterous. I wouldn't even see how you would even know I was in the second season, even if I was present during one of the later games." **  
**

"Okay," Bowser Jr. said, frowning with confusion. "But saying that you were. Did you see that he was the Mole?"

"Oh, well…I saw the Mole…didn't interact much with him…" Piantissimo said, recalling back. "But they just seemed like a normal person. Happy. A bit jumpy. Nothing wrong with him." Piantissimo shrugged nonchalantly.

"It was a long time ago," he finished. **  
**

"Then if the Mole was undetectable in the previous game...it shows that the Mole is just like one of us!" Bowser Jr. concluded, looking out the transparent circle of the tent that served as their window. He looked closely at the moon, hard, but couldn't tell whether it was pixelated or not. It couldn't be distinguished from a real moon. As fake as it was, it was real.

"You can't tell if anyone is real or fake in this game."

* * *

"Ah, my, this is beautiful," Flurrie called out, seeing a basin-designed sink installed in their tent. "Is not it just great? I was silly to not appreciate the sound of a tent at first."

"Quite exotic," Zess T. replied, who was settling onto her mattress. "I didn't know we would be put in the middle of a desert, but in addition, I didn't know it would be so good!" She chuckled, unpacking her luggage bag.

"So everything is just so stressful, with all this whole Mole-business in the air," Flurrie said, looking into a mirror in front of her while doing her hair. "It's all rather silly, if you think about it."

"I don't think it's silly at all," Zess T. said, sitting down on her mattress to feel it. "I'm actually getting into the gist of things! One of us is a traitor, and you just don't know who it is!"

"If I had to guess right now," Flurrie said, combing her hair, "I would have to guess that lad Snifit. He's very quiet, even for someone who's just met the others for the first time."

"Now, I don't think they would pick him as the Mole," Zess T. spoke out, trying to make herself comfortable on her bed, but unable to. "I highly doubt they'd pick a chap like him to be the Mole. He's way too quiet!"

"Maybe he's so quiet, nobody would dare to suspect him," Flurrie thought to herself. She picked up a perfume bottle labeled, "Mushroom Puree".

"Or maybe it is someone fair, like Princess Éclair," Flurrie said, applying eyeliner. "She's very dainty, proper, and can be very suspicious too."

"Daintiness doesn't go well with Mole-iness," Zess T. decided, finally lying down. "If you were to ask me, I think it's someone who really tries to fit in with the group. Someone friendly, who we wouldn't suspect at first. Now, they're most likely to be the Mole." She once again shifted uncomfortably in her bed.

Zess: _It's all like the lottery...not saying I've gambled so much in my life! But if you take a lucky guess…you might just get the right Mole!_

"All you gotta do is suspect one person…"Zess said, looking at the tent ceiling. "And if that person's the right one, you win the whole game. Why, if that person was me, I'd be boggled!" She got up from her bed, both flabbergasted and enticed.

"Now, what is under my bed!" the old woman exclaimed, lifting off the ground mattress. Flurrie turned around, as they both looked at the green-colored book.

"Well well," Flurrie realized, putting a finger to her chin with interest. "The secrets in this game just keep increasing."

* * *

"You know what I think a Mole is?" Dry Bones went on. "Someone who is like…sabotages…but then doesn't bring it up," Dry Bones explained to his two teammates, who seemed to either just stare at him blankly or was more interested in other things.

"The eliminations depend on the quizzes, right?" Dashell said, looking at his journal carefully.

"Okay, quizzes," said Dry Bones, ranting on. "Now, I don't know how the heck they work, but I heard they're on computers, and man, sometimes my hand just slips, being all boney and all…I might be the first eliminated!" He stopped rambling, then looked at Dashell.

"You're known to be speedy….fast…you're the speed Pixl who's known to run 50 knots per minute," Dry Bones realized. "You probably wouldn't have trouble on the quizzes." Dashell nodded at him.

"Do any of you have a pen?" Dashell spoke up. Snifit looked over at his bag, and then pulled out something from its side pocket: a pen.

"Thanks bud...where'd you get this pen anyway?" Dashell asked, looking at him strangely. "I thought we were only allowed to bring clothes."

"Home." Dry Bones stopped talking, and looked at the player with wide eyes. Snifit's eyes widened too.

"I do a lot of paper work at home, as a sheriff," Snifit replied, shrugging.

"Suspect 1," Dry Bones spoke out loud, as he wrote. "Flurrie. Caused confusion on the case of her question. Suspicious Level: Moderate." He turned to Dashell.

"Who else sabotaged?" Dashell asked his two roommates. "I have this sure feeling that the Mole messed up in the first game."

"A bunch," Snifit answered. "You have to take into account the influence that other players had on the player who was about to jump. The host must have added that rule just so that the Mole could find an opportune sabotage."

Dashell: _What do you know? Snifit, as silent as he is, is smart. Maybe I can use him a shield._

"Come on, I know I sabotaged by not helping Tiny with her cucumber question, even though I'm a horticulturist," Dry Bones said, laughing. "But I was completely worried about having to jump. I couldn't focus on anything else . And to think of it, you sabotaged that first game too! We both...kinda messed up."

"That we did," Dashell realized. He put his journal down, almost in a giving-up way.

"This game is harder than I thought," the player said, looking at the other tent across from their from their own tent's entrance.

"What has the Mole gotten themself into?"

* * *

It was morning time. The players were gently awakened by not only the light-leveled bustling of the people outside their tents, but by the sun as well. The level of lightness was bright above their heads.

"Well, Day 2! Are you ready for the second day of this game?" Tiny Kong said to her two teammates, getting her clothes ready. She was up and ready, but made sure the night before to keep her journal hidden from either of the other two over the night. She had hidden it under her pillow while she was sleeping.

Tiny: _I don't trust many people in this game, and it's only understandable that I don't. One of us is the Mole, and it could and might be Mimi._

"Yes!" Mimi said, who was actually delighted to be up. "I can't wait to play more of this game. The other players are simply…easy to manipulate."

"I hope you don't think that about me," Tiny said jokingly. "Cause I'm not ready to fall into anyone's traps." She looked over at Éclair, who smiled.

"I am ready to go…but I had the most peculiar dream last night," Éclair said, who was still seated in her bed mattress.

"Dream?" Mimi asked, interested.

"I do not remember everything," began Éclair, sounding dazed. "But I do remember there was a black shadow. In my dream, there was dark, black orb, following behind me. And I felt like the black shadow was…a person. This person, or black orb, was of great speed. They were running really fast...speedy. Almost like it was chasing me, and only me. And then..."

"Oh my gosh," Mimi said, completely engaged. "Go on!"

"The shadow reached me, and was gone," Éclair told them. "I believe…it sounds crazy…but…I am not sure if I should even continue-"

"What, what!" Mimi said eagerly and fearfully, almost screaming at the top of her lungs. "What was it?!" Tiny listened, looking a bit skeptical.

"I believe the dark figure…was the figure of the Mole," Éclair finished. Tiny and Mimi both turned to each other.

"Oh, hah! Well, that isn't surprising," Tiny Kong said, almost as if she was laughing it off. "This place is just so crazy. It's no wonder you were having crazy dreams like that. I'm surprised I haven't had a crazy dream yet."

"Oh my gosh…I totally believe in dreams though," Mimi said to Éclair. "Maybe it's a sign."

"I believe in more logical stuff," Tiny Kong continued to Eclair, "so I think it's just a mixture of everything that's happening in these games. It probably doesn't even mean anything. Don't worry about it too much!"

"Perhaps," Éclair said, smiling and trusting the Kong relative's words. But Mimi only shook her head.

Mimi: _Hmm. I think it was a sign. Some dreams hold signs of the future. I want to see what dreams I get in this game. Maybe it'll tell me who the Mole is too!_

* * *

"I had a weird dream, too," Bowser Jr. went on, as the players were eating at the same exquisite location which had served them lunch.

"What happened?" Piantissimo asked.

"That I won this game." Everyone rolled their eyes, but some of them even chuckled at the player's words.

"I had the same exact dream," Piantissimo said, pompously, "but it was not a dream. It was a vision."

"No, but besides that," Bowser Jr. said, shaking his head, "I had this weird, other dream." He shoved a macaron into his mouth, food which had been saved and was still fresh from the day before.

"What was it?" asked Flurrie, interested in such things as well. "I tend to believe a lot about what our dreams tell us. They might even tell us of events to come in the future."

"Well, it's funny. I was hopping on a metal object. Not sure what it was. It was cracking, and breaking and the object was getting destroyed. But the object spoke to me, 'Are you sure you're destroying me?' But for some reason in my dream, I just said to the object, 'Yep. I'm sure I destroyed you'. But the reality was, I didn't destroy it." The players all looked at him, slightly interested but unsettled.

"Sounds like you're hiding something in the back of your mind," Dashell commented. "Maybe a secret or something."

"I'm getting shivers," Dry Bones said, sinking back into his chair. "I don't like all this creepy dream talk."

"Why are we all suddenly in this game getting dreams, McHallyboo?" Tiny asked, after hearing Bowser Jr.'s testimony. "I mean, there has to be a logical explanation to it. Did it happen to the past Mole players as well? What's the meaning of them?" McHallyboo finished swallowing his piece of pancake before talking.

"Frankly, I don't know the real answer," said the host, being as honest as he could. "But it must be something with the illusion of this entire virtual setting being variegated up with your reality. Everything is mixed up, and your imagination…flows. Your imagination is larger than ever before, as long as you are in this building." Everyone looked at McHallyboo, then at everything around them. They were all in a constructed setting: a small, stranded tent in the middle of an enormous, scorching desert that stretched for miles, and they had all walked those miles with their own two feet. None of it seemed fictional to them.

"So that's why your dreams have been so large," McHallyboo explained. "Your level of imagination in your brains has been forced to increase, as you walk, breathe, and live in this fake world. And the more you live in it…"

"The more real it will seem to us, and the more our imagination is magnified," Flurrie finished.

"And the greater our imagination is, the more we dream at night," Bowser Jr. said, thinking hard.

"There's something really evil about this building then," Tiny said, thinking also and looking at the food on her plate. "Really, really evil."

"Why, I think it's rather intriguing, and beautiful," Zess T. spoke up from the front of the table. "But it is kind of scary that this can all get into our heads like that."

Zess: _All these players: they all have these strategies to win this game. But we're thrust into this setting that we're just all so unfamiliar with…and so we have to all start from scratch, and make sure our strategies work! I just sure hope mine holds weight!_

"Players…we will be travelling a farther distance to your next location," McHallyboo told them all, standing up from his chair. "Once we arrive at our next location, Mission 2 will begin swiftly."

"Oh, how splendid," Flurrie said, almost excitedly. "We have to make up for our losses in that horrid first game." For the others, this was another opportunity to add more money to their pot.

Bowser Jr: _We definitely need more money. Especially since one of us has the job of like, keeping money away. We have to counter them, or else we're all just being suckers to the Mole!_

"Pack your belongings, because we're off to a more civilized and proper civilization!" The players could not be more ready to start their next game, most of them having a feeling that a two-hundred and twenty-six foot cliff would not be involved.

* * *

The players left at approximately 9'oclock that morning. All ten of them were delighted to see in front of them two awaiting carriages, and were also delighted to know that they would not have to take the travel to their next location on foot. A little apprehensive on where they were going to be located next, the players took the three hours of time to travel to their next location to form scenarios in their head of what their next game entailed. Most of them took this time to write in their crucial journals.

"My, the heat in this carriage is quite sweltering," Flurrie commented, who was using a fan for herself. "But I would be foolish to be complaining. How happy I am that we have reliable transportation in this desert."

"And how happy I am to tell you all that we're almost there," McHallyboo said, "because I think I see the town. I think we're here…yes, we are!" It was an interesting, small town that was much more advanced than the settlement where they had settled the night before. Buildings were placed here and there, and they could see that there was more life present and existing in this bigger town.

The two stage coaches holding the players stopped right before where the desert cut into the urban pavement land. The doors of the stagecoaches opened, as the players eagerly stepped out.

"I don't know why…but my feet," Tiny said, stretching out her long legs as she hopped onto the ground, "are so, so happy to be on the ground. That was the longest three-hour ride ever."

"Oh, I gotcha," Dashell said, holding out a hand to Éclair who had stumbled while getting out from her carriage.

"Thank you for the assistance," she said to the speedy Pixl. The players, all out of their carriages, looked forwards.

"Quite a town," Piantissimo commented.

"Where…are we?" Mimi asked.

"You have arrived in Yold Town," McHallyboo told them all. "This is the actual civilization site within Yold Desert, opposed to where you stayed yesterday. So you'll see more people here than at the tent pit stop." The players could see the town ahead of them, and though it wasn't big, it was still populated to a significant amount.

"Please, follow me," McHallyboo told them all, as the crowd of them followed behind the host on the laid-out pavement. The players seemed a little bit more relieved, seeing their first views of other social, normal-living life while entering the town.

"Welcome to Yold Village!" called out a soldier in a red uniform. Some of the players waved out to him.

"Huh…these kinds of people are just funny and block-shaped," Bowser Jr. realized, but then figured that it was how the civilians appeared in the actual world of the town. McHallyboo led them to the direction of a shop.

"An old shop?" asked Zess T. But McHallyboo did not stop at the shop. Rather, he jumped a small ledge, back onto the sandy land that was not part of the town. As the players followed him curiously, they noticed that the host was leading them directly behind the shop, slightly away from the town, to another part of the desert.

"Hey, why are we going behind the…!" Right behind the shop was a large sight for the players. It would have been a normal patch of sandy terrain, if it was not for the immense mechanical structure that lay before their eyes. Standing over twenty feet high, it was an item that was very appropriate to be standing in a blank, diggable, area of land.

"This is my excavator…I call her, "The Mole Digger", McHallyboo said, almost in a proud voice. "One of you will be using her in this game. Now, before we begin…" He faced the players.

"Before we begin, I need to know the three players in this group who know everyone else the best. So, please choose those three players." The players all looked at each other.

"Hmm, I believe we should choose this team on individuals who know the most…factual knowledge of each other," Flurrie said to everyone.

"Yeah, I agree," Dry Bones called out. "People who studied each other's profiles the most!"

"I believe I would like to volunteer myself," Flurrie spoke up, facing the others. "I feel like I am most comfortable, of this group, in knowing most of you, as well as a few of your qualities."

"I would nominate Flurrie too," Tiny Kong others nodded, agreeing too.

"I know a lot about everyone too," Piantissimo immediately volunteered. "So I will volunteer for this role as well." Some of the other players exchanged glances, a little hesitant in choosing the player in purple.

Tiny Kong: _The only person that Piantissimo knows most about is like, himself. What did he know about the rest of us?_

"I know every single detail about every one of you, from ever nook and cranny," Piantissimo said, giving off a dashing smile. "And, my brain is simply the biggest."

"Oh...my gosh," Tiny groaned and muttered.

"Well, if no one else wants the last role…I guess I know some facts about everyone as well," Dry Bones said, shrugging and raising his hand. "I'll do it."

"All right, so the three of you?" McHallyboo confirmed. "You will be the three archeologists of this game."

"Archeologists? Not anthropologists?" Dry Bones asked.

"Please, follow me to the end of the town. Everyone else, please stay here." Flurrie, Piantissimo, and Dry Bones followed the host out of the area. The final earnings of the game would lie in their hands.

* * *

"Now!" said McHallyboo, arriving back to the remaining group of players. "Now that those three are settled, I need three players who like to spend their time searching for treasure, and four of you who can do nothing better than the action of spending money."

"Oh my gosh," Mimi shrilled up. "Spending for me. Though, searching for treasure sounds fun too!"

"I will do the spending role as well," decided Éclair. "I have a slight feeling that treasure hunters will have to dig in the sand, and I'm afraid I am not ready to perform such actions." The others nodded, looking at the sandy patch.

"Well, I'm not afraid to get down and dirty, if I have to dig up treasure," Tiny Kong said, excited. "I'll dig up some gold!"

"Me neither, but I think someone with more energy will be better at digging than me," Zess T. decided with a small laugh. "I will be put onto the side with the money spenders!" She joined the team of money spenders, while Bowser Jr. turned to Dashell and Snifit.

"Do any of you want to take the last spender role?" Bowser Jr. said. "If not, I'll take it." Snifit looked indifferent.

"You know, maybe I would make a better shopper than a treasure hunter," Dashell said, looking at the players on the respective team.

"Nah, I think you could be a good digger, since you have a lot of speed," Tiny Kong said suddenly, butting in. "I think Bowser Jr. should stick as a money spender."

"Okay, fine with me." While Bowser Jr. joined the shoppers, Dashell had no other choice but to join the team of treasure hunters.

_**Treasure Hunters: Tiny Kong, Dashell, Snifit**_

_**Treasure Spenders: Mimi, Éclair, Zess, Bowser Jr.**_

"I would like to introduce the next mission," said McHallyboo, seeing everyone in their places. "This next game is called, _**Purchase of the Desert**__._ Teamwork is needed, and communication, both directly and indirectly, is of the essence in this game" He pointed to the sandy lot in front of the group.

"Hidden in this area of land," McHallyboo explained, then pointed to the empty land of sand in front of him, "are many, many coins. Treasure Hunters, you have half an hour to retrieve as many coins as you can from this sandy land." The host pointed to the large vehicle in the middle of the lot.

"One of you will be controlling the excavator," the host said, as the three treasure hunters turned to each other with stunned enthusiasm. "As the excavator digger, you will be able to dig up the most grandest of treasures in this game," McHallyboo said.

"Whoa…now that looks fun!" Bowser Jr. said, a little jealous.

"The grandest of treasures?" repeated Eclair.

"Who would like to take that role?" the host asked. The three of them faced each other. Snifit looked at the excavator, then raised his hand.

"I think I might be familiar with some of the mechanisms," Snifit told the host. "I have maybe some prior knowledge with vehicle buttons and what not." Snifit took the role, as Dashell and Tiny nodded.

"Then Snifit, while you control the excavator, you must dig sand up into the claw," McHallyboo explained. "The other two must physically collect the coins." The host pointed to a large object against the back of the shop.

"The two of you, Tiny and Dashell, must stand in this bin," McHallyboo said, and he pointed to a large container that was placed against the back of the shop's back wall. The players at first had mistaken it as either being a garbage or recycling dump, but the two treasure hunters could only fear the worst.

"Why would we be standing in there?" Tiny asked, looking confused.

"Because the excavator must drop the sand in that bin, over there, where the two of you will be standing in." McHallyboo explained. "You must stand under the excavator as it pours gallons of sand upon you." Tiny and Dashell's mouths dropped open.

"Oh…my gosh…what?" Tiny laughed, shaking her head. "Really?"

"As the container fills with sand, you must search within it, for treasure...like in a playground," McHallyboo said, and then he winked. "Like some say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Dashell: _They took that phrase way out of whack. I wasn't going to particular enjoy it, but hey, it's the game._

"Huh…well," Bowser Jr. said, wide-eyed. "I'm not jealous of your roles anymore."

"The coins that Snifit are able to dig up will be transferred to the people in the shop," the host said, and he pointed to the four treasure spenders of the group. "You must use that money to purchase four important items."

"What's the nature of the items?" Zess T. asked. "Like, can it be just any regular old item?"

"You must each purchase an object that you think…represents you the best," McHallyboo said carefully. "Choose carefully: after the forty-five minute time limit is up, the three archeologists will examine these four objects. They must then determine which object was bought by which player." The four shoppers nodded, understanding.

"For every correctly identified object that is identified to a player by the three archeologists at the end of this game, 5,000 coins will go into the team pot," said McHallyboo. "So once again, you can win up to twenty thousand coins. But can you actually win it all this time?"

"Yeah, I hope so!" Zess T. said, remembering last mission's results and shaking his head. "We gotta be smart. I'm pretty noggin' at choosing what objects are important, what not."

"Yes," said Éclair. "We must choose the best objects that will best describe us, for our part of the game."

"Oh, and one more thing," McHallyboo warned the players. "The objects in the shop aren't cheap. So you might want to hustle on earning as much money as you can. Good luck." Tiny sighed, then looked over at Dashell.

"So, partner, are you ready to get some treasure?"

* * *

All players were in their respective places. As the two treasure hunters stood in their trash dumpster with uneasiness, the four shoppers stood beside them, wondering what the rest of their game actually held in store. The most unique position of the game, however, was Snifit's place in this second challenge. He had been provided with roughly twenty minutes of technological training before being literally strapped to his seat of the excavator.

Snifit: _I have the knowledge of a police officer and we have complicated vehicles with a lot of buttons. I was figuring it was the same thing._

"Oh wow, look at him," said Tiny, shielding her eyes as the sun hit the metal of the machine. Both she and Dashell, luckily and thankfully, had been provided with goggles to wear as they would slowly get buried with sand inch by inch.

"I wish we got ear and mouth plugs too," Dashell said, looking at the sand ahead of them.

"Remember, any money that you find, just give it to us right away," Bowser Jr. told Dashell. "And then we'll all run to the shop to buy something. We got this in the pot."

"Hoping that the Mole doesn't screw us up in the end, that is!" Zess reminded them all.

"Are you ready to start your game?" McHallyboo announced to the entire group. "Hunters? Spenders? Archeologists, even?"

"Alive and ready to win," said the voice of Piantissimo, speaking into the walkie-talkie between the host and the players. Flurrie and Dry Bones nodded as well, from across their location in the desert town.

"Yes!" all players called out in unison. Snifit gave a thumbs up from his machine.

"The game begins, in three...two...one…now!" The machine roared to life, as Snifit started its engine. At first, the excavator lunged forwards, which would have thrown his figure from the seat of the machine had it not been for his seatbelt.

"Easy!" Bowser Jr. shouted from the area of the trash containers. "It's a sensitive machine."

"Gotcha." Snifit slowed down his moving, and then stopped to the vehicle. He looked at his number of buttons, and saw the one button that he had been given careful instructions in using.

"The arm." He simply pressed it down, and the arm of the excavator reached down, then slowly picked up a large amount of sand into its container bucket. With a slow, simple scoop towards the ground, he raised the arm up again, and it was full of sand.

"This way!" Tiny shouted. "Move the machine this way!" Snifit moved the large machine slowly towards the end of the sand area, to where the shop was located. Within seconds, he had reached the trash dumpster which held the two waiting players.

"Oh no…I'm not ready for this." Looming over them like a dark shadow, the excavator was like a large, menacing figure to Dashell and Tiny. Very soon, they were about to meet their first sandy assault.

"Are you ready for me to pour the sand in?" said Snifit, not knowing how unready his two teammates were.

"Hold your breath!" Dashell said to Tiny, as they both were fearing the worst and bracing themselves.

"Three…two…one…go!" As Snifit pressed the green button, the gallons and gallons of sand from the excavator poured over the two poor players like a terrible shower of gravel, emptying into the container that held them. The four players standing beside the dumpster stepped back with a gasp as the teammates were buried with their first shovel of sand.

"Oh my goshhhhhhhhh!" Mimi shouted, going up to the dumpster, after the sand dust had cleared. "Are you guys all right? Speak to me!"

"I'm okay," said Dashell, standing up from the sand, which had only covered half a foot within their container. "But bleh. It could have gone better."

"The sand! …eww, it's in my hair," Tiny said, standing up and shaking her pigtails rapidly left and right. "That was rough! But, hate to admit it, fun." She shook her head again.

"Hey whoa, please stop," Dashell pleaded, trying to block the player's whips of sand. But then he looked down at the floor of the container they were in: in the pile of sand that had covered the floor of the dumpster were the hidden treasures of their game.

"Coins!" Both he and Tiny rapidly tried to pick up as many of the coins as they could, handing it to the treasure spenders as fast as they could.

"Yes…can't wait to spend all of this good moolah," Bowser Jr. said, almost in a slightly greedy tone. "It's ironic: spending money to get money!"

"Well well, I am glad to go shopping, never the less," Mimi said, excitedly.

"Is this all the money you have?" Éclair asked, taking the final coin from Tiny's possession.

"Yeah...oh wait," she said suddenly, lifting her foot and seeing a lost coin there. She bent over to pick it up.

"I missed one," she laughed, giving it to Éclair. "There's so much sand in this container, it'll be a miracle of we find all of the coins that are hidden in this container at the end of the game."

"Now, let's all go and buy something rich!" Zess T. announced to the crowd.

"To the store!" With the discovered coins in their hands, the four players quickly and eagerly made their way to the front of the shop. Wondering what would lie inside the manipulated building, the players entered the store to do the necessary but very tricky part of their mission: to personify their own selves through a single, crucial object.

* * *

**Mission 2 barely unfolds! I apologize for that, heh, however, the next upload will unfold the entirety of its unique gameplay!**

**This chapter explored a lot of the players' deepest characteristics and crevices…even some of them subconsciously! But the truth is, they're all here together to solve one question, and that is, who is the Mole. And at the end of this very first episode, one of these unfortunate players will be going home.**

_**Anyways, I am just so thrilled and humbled to see the number of reviews I got for Chapter 2 *_* I am….beyond grateful of words and you all just seriously inspire me a lot to keep on going. You really, really do! To everyone who reviewed, you all have my greatest greatest thanks and I SHALL REPLY TO YOU ALL! :D Let us see….**_

* * *

**sixthsense6: **Why yes! I do (and they probably don't even) realize how rude or pretentious they are in this game! This chapter, I tried to shine light on some of those aspects of those characteristics. Maybe some things are different for you…or still the same! : )

**Champ 15:** Haha! I even noticed myself it was a quicker update than usual and I was shocked, because I had not updated that fast even in Saboteur's island! xD. And thank you for the "twist" compliment! I felt like it was very Mole-gameish, and felt like the jumping aspect just needed one more spice, so just added that last second, haha. And about the entire Tiny/Candy fiasco, heh, you can either take that as a clue, or simply my mixup of characters from my playings of Donkey Kong 64.

**PSULucky**: Ah, it is an indeed pleasure to see you again! Your character anaylizations were just GRAND : ) Some of your character descriptions were right one…indeed, some characters turn more into outcasts, while other players just aren't as bad as they seem, heh. And I'm actually also glad with your words saying you think this possibly might be the "best "season out of the trio…I really aim for it actually : ) so I really just appreicate that! And your comment about the chapters possibly following Super PM made me go like "Oh SNAP, it really does coincide!" But haha, hopefully, Episode 2 will solve that answer quickly!

**Moley Koopa: **Ah, I am actually quite eye-opened from your comparisons of the past seasons to this season in your suspectings. That's actually something I like to personally do a LOT in different series of the Mole. I will not reveal whether you are right or wrong about your track, but just wanted to say that you and I think VERY alike, when it comes to Mole suspicions! Hehe, joy with us!

**FireKai:** Firekai, your words and reviews have given me so much encouragement from the start and I cannot be more happy and thankful to see your name once again. It never gets old and makes me smile to see you still reading my stories that even in my own eyes have rusted, you have continued to read so HELLO DEAR FRIEND and thank you for being back! Also, your suspicious-activity-moment analysis with Mimi and Dry Bones, even be it right or wrong, shows your always-present smartness!

**AdmiralBobbery: **Why, I am very happy to hear those words! Thank you grandly. Too flattered to hear I am inspiration, I don't react well to that haahaaa. I am also glad to know that you will be following the story this time around as it updates, I guess it does give a Mole story a different feel : ) I hope you enjoy the new change!

**fiction idea: **Thank you! And I am always intrigued by predicted lists of execution order! Perhaps you are right, or perhaps you are wrong! (lol, what an needless statement, I apologize x.x) But, whenever predicted lists are wrong, they open my eyes to how WOULD a game go, if they were to be booted off that way actually. So that's pretty cool : )

**bookreader233:** A great pleasure to see you back! And why yes, sometime a first episode has to be rolling before the Mole pops his or her head out! No blame, no blame, lol. : ) And yes yes yes with your last line! (I honestly don't know where I got that phrase…it sounds very Hunger Game-ish, lol, so I always suspect it got rooted partially from there, lol.

**The Smart One 64:** Ello there, oh good sir. INFECTED CLUE LOL. And aren't we just lame to each other? I'm pressuring you to share your smartness, even if it might be wrong, and you're like "No I wont post it!" and Im like "Ugh, share your smartness. Gosh" and you're probably like "Gosh" in reply. Anyways, I am glad to hear you have eliminated a suspect! Your whole comment of "Not even an interview that I figured would be mandatory" made me laugh cause yah, I picture McHallyboo forcing the players behind a camera to do confessionals against their wills, even if they didn't want to. And is that a Journey reference I am hearing? Are you bringing music to the Mole's ears? Preposterous…

**Blucad**: Very large pleasure reading your review! It was much appreciated : ) And I'm too glad to hear you are a fan of the actual Mole series as well! Isn't the show in general just…breathtaking? The only downside is, I have to stay away from getting any similarities from the actual series into my own stories! (Traitor Aboard…oh gosh! Haha, though that wasn't tooo similar). I'm also glad you like the game's setting! It totally came up to one day for the story, and at first I was like "…nah, it couldn't work". But then I put it to paper and it actually played, heh. Anyways, thank you for your words! : )

* * *

**Whoa! So many replies, I ENJOYED writing every single one of them! And if you guys ever have questions in your reviews (as long as they are not like "Who is the Mole?" D:) I'll be sure to answer them : D thank you so much guys! You keep everything rolling and so amazing! I just cannot thank enough.**

**I plan to upload the entirety of Episode 1 before next week arrives. So, do expect fast updates until Episode 1 is over (Unless you are those kinds of people who in restaurants, don't want their food served too early…are you serious? A waiter asked me that the other day, and I was flabbergasted beyond words. I was like, "WHAT FOOLS EXIST IN THIS WORLD WHO DON'T WANT THEIR FOOD TO BE SERVED EARLY?"**

**Ahem, sorry for being judgmental, heh. Part 4 to come soon!**


	4. Plethora of Treasures

**LOL WHY IS THIS QUICK UPDATE? I saw some of you just review, and then I carelessly upload this fourth part. If you're one of those people (that I described at the end of last chapter) who don't like to be served their food so fast, I apologize! Dx.**

**But thank you all so much! If I look at it, I guess I am quite glad I was able to update sooner, opposed to later : ) so yes! I am glad. Thank you guys so much, once again! You all mean so much to my speedy updates : )**

**Anyways, Mission 2 has just begun! I do hope it plays out well for the players. Nothing is as easy as it seems at first, it appears. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Episode 1 (PART 4)**

"All these…objects!"

The store's inside was a baffling and exquisite view for the players. All the normal items that were supposed to be present and normally sold on a regular day in Yold Town were nowhere to be seen. Instead, what was scattered in front of the players were shelves upon cabinets of unique items, with each object on sale having a different price tag attached to its front in bold marker.

"Oh, pardon me," Zess T. said quickly and in a jokingly manner, ducking to avoid a pair of shoes which were hanging on a string from the ceiling. Seen amuck in the store were various, random objects, literally hanging in front of the players' noses, attached to strings that hung down from the store's top.

"Welcome to the shop of Yold Town!" said the temporary store owner of the store from the desk near the front. "I hope you enjoy your unique shopping experience."

"What…huh…oh, it would be you," Bowser Jr. said with exasperation, seeing McHallyboo seated behind the counter.

"As the money spenders in this game, you will be the shoppers," McHallyboo explained. "You must each, before forty minutes is over from this point, buy an object that is crucial in identifying you."

"And in the end, the three archeologists must determine which person bought which object?" Zess confirmed. McHallyboo nodded.

"Correcto!" the players faced the objects.

"Oh, look at this pen," Mimi said, grabbing a gem-covered pen that was on the shelf. "It's so pretty!" She looked at its price tag: 150 coins.

"ONE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY COINS?" Mimi cried. "What kind of shop is this!"

"How much do we even have, guys?" wondered Bowser Jr, as everyone took out their coins and put them on the counter before them. As they counted, they saw that their total piled up to no more than thirty coins in total.

"Man, that's not enough for anything," Bowser Jr. said, sighing. "We can't afford half these items yet!"

"I really want something expensive," Mimi wailed.

"But we can't buy anything here, not with the money we have," Zess realized, "Or rather, lack of money! Look!" She picked up a spatula from a shelf, seeing its ridiculous price tag of 168 coins.

"We have to go back," Bowser Jr. said. "Let's hope the others have uncovered more treasure!" The four shoppers could only return back to the sand lot of the shop, leaving the store that they considered to be as repelling and difficult as ever. But little did they know, the interior of the store was about to become even more discouraging and deterring the next time the four of them would enter.

* * *

"Second dump of sand, in three…two…one…" Snifit had dug into the rich-filled sand of land once again with his excavator, and had retrieved another bucket of sand for his two teammates.

"Button pressed; it is emptying! Sand attack initiated. Sorry again!" The sand dumped once again onto Dashell and Tiny Kong, who were better prepared than their first time. However, the sand attack was no less intense than it was their first time either, and both players were knocked to the ground from the sand load's pressure.

Tiny Kong: _Like, we tried to keep our posture as the bucket of sand was poured onto us, but it was just so strong, we were both knocked to the bottom of the trashc canister_

Dashell:_ I didn't even dare to breathe every time the sand was dumped. Otherwise, I'd probably be eating a sand sandwhich._

"Okay, search!" The container, filled with more sand that before, began to get scavenged by the two hunters, who had no other option but to use their hands like shovels. Each shiny coin they came across, they threw to the pavement besides them on the ground.

"It really is like searching in a playground for coins," Tiny laughed, using her hands to pick up piles of sand and throw them out of the canister. "Just, not so kid-friendly."

"McHallyboo said something in my walkie-talkie," Snifit told them, from the window of his excavator. "You are not allowed to get any coins that fall to the floor out of the trash container. You can't leave the container."

"Roger," confirmed Dashell. "We won't."

"Hey guys!" called out Bowser Jr to them, the four shopped returning back to the sand area base. "We don't have enough coins for anything! The items are like, mad-priced!"

"Ooh, nice findings," Mimi said, as the players tried to grab from the ground as many coins as they could and into their pockets.

"It is best we retrieve at least thirty or so coins," Eclair insisted. "Going back and forth to the store continuously will tire our energy. We must first gather."

"Okay, then we'll keep on searching," Dashell said, and he and Tiny could only use their hands to scoop and find as many coins as they could, unaware of the digging tools that existed just a few feet away from them.

* * *

"Hmm…I wonder what activities the others are partaking in right now," Piantissimo thought, a little irritated with his role in the game. "Our roles are very uneventful, so it is fun to imagine their roles in my head."

"Well, it is nice to sit back and reflect on things, especially when there is just such a plethora of things to think about in this game," Flurrie said, smiling with relaxation. "We should consider ourselves quite lucky." They saw the group of four players, at the shop in the very distance, run out of the store and head back to where they had come from. However, they were at a distance so far that they could not tell who each player was.

"Who is that…Snifit?" Dry Bones thought he saw.

"I believe that was definitely the shape of Dashell," Flurrie spoke in a voice of certainty.

The three of them suddenly all turned, as they heard the walkie-talkie from Dry Bones' pocket produce static.

"zzz…pstzzttt….Hello?" came the voice of McHallyboo.

"Hi, hi!" Dry Bones said, taking out and holding the walkie-talkie to his head. "McHallyboo? We thought you were trying to speak to us."

"Yes, it is me" said the host, as they heard him clear his throat from the walkie-talkie. "I just wanted to make sure you're all there."

"Yep, it's not like we're doing anything of activity," Piantissimo spoke with bored eyes.

"You might think that your roles in this game are saved for the end. But you all have a greater role than that. The three of you all have the chance to earn an exemption." The three of them paused suddenly and looked at each other.

"Oh…do elaborate," Flurrie continued. "I believe we would all be interested."

"On the back of your walkie-talkie are three buttons," McHallyboo said. "Turn it over." Dry Bones turned the device over, and on its back were three protruding circles, all of different shades of color that made the three players wonder.

"Blue…black…yellow?" Dry Bones wondered, looking at the three buttons.

"Each of you own a button," McHallyboo said. "Piantissimo, you have control over the blue button. Dry Bones, the black one. And Flurrie, the yellow button. In order to all gain the equal opportunity to do a lottery for an exemption, you must each press your respective buttons sometime in the next thirty minutes. After that, once this game is over, one of you will be randomly selected to earn an exemption."

"Okay…" said Flurrie, a little carefully. "But just what exactly does each button do in this game?"

"The blue button," McHallyboo began, "will emit a sleeping gas within this store that I am in. It can put a large dragon to sleep within minutes, if inhaled directly. The shoppers will suffer it if they enter the store." The players looked at each other with alarm.

"A sleeping gas?" Dry Bones said, with incredulity. "That's not safe! What if someone's allergic to it? Or chokes to death!"

"The black button will turn all the lights in the shop temporarily," McHallyboo went on. "Press it, and the players will be in darkness, unable to see their items." Flurrie looked at the yellow button.

"What does my button entail?" Flurrie asked with concern.

"It will activate a current in the shop…and every object on sale that the players touch will emit an electrical shock to them." Flurrie looked horrified.

"An electric shock!" she reiterated with incredulity. "Why! That is fairly unpleasant!"

"For an exemption, you'd be surprised what can change," McHallyboo said. "So in order to all run for the chance at an exemption, you must each press your respective buttons. Manipulate the shop." They weren't sure if they heard McHallyboo laugh or not in the background.

"Well, carry on now." The walkie-talkie flickered off. Dry Bones just looked up at his teammates, face flabbergasted.

"Hmm…you see…it is simply temporary pain for our teammates," Piantissimo said, looking at the others around him as well. "We must think like that. Only temporary pain. Nothing terrible at all." But even his face showed the slightest of uncertainty.

"I'd hate to say it, but…it is very tempting," Flurrie told them. "Though…I'm just oh-so worried about the shocking part of this offer. It sounds dangerous."

"You know...this game isn't any better or less dangerous than the first one," Dry Bones realized, and they all realized that he was right.

* * *

"Twenty-eight…twenty-nine…thirty!" Bowser Jr. shouted, counting the retrieved coins that he and his teammates had counted one by one.

"I think we have enough to buy at least one of those expensive objects," Zess said, standing up and pointing to the store behind them. "Let's go back!" The four of them made their way back to the store's front, on the other side. As close as it was to them, it was still a hassle to keep on transitioning from the store's inside to the sand lot behind it, especially with the fact that a high ledge that they were forced to climb separated both areas of the game.

"Phew…wow," said Tiny, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "That was so hard! Finding thirty coins to give to the other players. If they didn't force us to look, a lot of coins might have gone undiscovered."

"Yeah, true that," Dashell said, wiping sand from himself. "It's like a gold mine in here." The two of them were actually sitting down at the bottom of the large container, upon the sand, like two exhausted kids in a sand play area.

"So, who do you think is the most suspicious in our group so far?" Tiny asked Dashell. "You don't have to tell me the truth, but it would be cool if you did. I just want to know what others are thinking in this game."

Dashell: _I didn't think it was nosy, but it was something to definitely consider in this game, whether you should be truthful to some people and not truthful to others. But, I decided to be truthful._

"You know who's suspicious?" Dashell said. "Snifit."

"Oh gosh…shh!" Tiny said, wanting to jump up and cover his mouth. "He's right above us! What if he hears you?"

"I don't think it'd make a difference if he knew or not," Dashell told her. "Do you think it would?" Tiny thought for a second, but then shook her head.

"Anyways, I said he was suspicious…but I don't think he's the Mole," Dashell elaborated. "He's just a good suspect...in my opinion. He could be still be it though. They're all good suspects, actually." He stopped talking, and Tiny realized that it was her turn to return the question.

"I think it might either be Mimi or Piantissimo," Tiny decided to say. "And as much as I think Piantissimo is such a cocky character…you know, it would be a good cover up. With him being the most competitive."

"Yeah…I never thought about that." Dashell thought. "To be looking like your only game is to win, when you're the Mole. Do you think there's something deeper to what he's trying to show us?"

"If he's the Mole, this whole game is screwed up," Tiny said, laughing. "But, yeah. Piantissimo just strikes me odd." She thought.

"And Mimi, she's so innocent, but then you know there's something evil in that girl," Tiny said, laughing. She shuffled in her sand a little bit, trying to make room for her legs.

"Mimi's nice though," Tiny admitted. "If you look past her whole spoiled attitude, she's actually surprisingly nice to hang with!"

"You know what's shocking?" Dashell spoke up. "Bowser Jr. He's even nicer than I thought he'd be. I guess he does get a lot of bad reputation, being Bowser's offspring and all. On second thought, Bowser's not exactly the baddest guy either."

"You're so right!" Tiny realized. "He's just a little boy, in my eyes. He's so cute actually! Hmm…who else is nice in this game…oh, Princess Éclair is really kind. Do you think she's nice too?"

"Éclair?" Dashell said, his voice altering. "Yeah…I guess she's a nice girl."

"Anyways, we should like, focus on our game that's happening right now, and not on other things," Tiny said, shaking her head. "This game is too tiring to think of more than one thing at once." She paused.

"Hey, I wonder why Snifit is taking so long."

"Yeah, that's strange. Why is he taking so long?" Dashell wondered, and as soon as he said that, a familiar shadow loomed over them once again. It was the shadow of the excavator.

"Sorry," came the voice of Snifit, from above them. "The machine was running into some troubles. Slowing down, not moving. But don't worry. I am about to dump the third pile of sand."

"Bring it," Dashell called out above him, ready. The two players stood up, ready to take, once again, another hit each.

* * *

"I have thought once about it, and I am ready," Piantissimo said, reaching over to the walkie-talkie in Dry Bones' hands. "I will press my blue button."

"No, no!" Dry Bones said, pulling away. "That's mean! And it might be poisonous to them!"

"You're…quite a riot," Piantissimo said, and he reached over and grabbed the walkie-talkie from the player's grip, who was stunned.

"Whenever you feel the need to take an important action," Flurrie said, almost in a voice of both caution and wisdom, "You must think twice about it, especially if it's something that will affect other people to a great level." Piantissimo looked at the cloud spirit, then back at the remote, his eyes furrowing.

* * *

"Ah…what! We barely have fifty coins?" The four shoppers had made it back into the shop for a second round, and counted the money they brought back with both disappointment but optimism.

"Look, I found a shelf full of a lot of cheap little things!" Mimi said, opening the bottom shelf of the multitude that lay within the shop. "Thirty coins, thirty-five coins…wow, twenty coins!" She held up a flower vase.

"We must not be so eager to buy a cheap object," Zess said with caution. "It may be cheap, but it may not help the archeologists in discovering who we are."

"You're right," Mimi said, half-closing the shelf. "It's not good to rush things. But, I'm going to look anyway!"

"I have found a very beautiful embroidered handkerchief, with the word, 'Majesty' on it," Éclair noticed, picking up the object. "It is almost like a handkerchief for a princess. But it is one-hundred and sixty coins, and I am afraid I cannot afford it."

"It's like they put objects in here that purposeful match to us, but we can't afford!" Mimi noticed. "What a little scam!"

"Hey, look…there's a lighter here for one-hundred coins," Bowser Jr. said, picking up the metal object in the corner of the room. "You think it'll match me? Like, fire?"

"It is excellent," Éclair said, looking at Bowser. "But it may be mistaken for Zess, for she is a chef and likes to cook. The fire is ambiguous…it may fit both of you." Bowser Jr. groaned, nodding.

"Why do we overlap so much?" Bowser Jr. said with dismay. He yawned out loud, then looked at the shelf besides him.

"How about this funny object?" Bowser Jr. continued, noticing something on a shelf catching his eye. He picked up a spiky bracelet from the top of the shelf.

"Oh!" Éclair realized. "Its design slightly resembles your back."

"A spiky bracelet?" Zess said, looking over at him. "I don't think that would describe you very well. "

"But who else would the archeologists think the bracelet would be for?" Bowser Jr. pointed out. "You? Mimi? Éclair?"

" Anything can be interpreted for it," Zess told him, almost as if she was shooing it away with her hand. "I'd choose something else that describes you, in personality."

Bowser Jr: I _thought it was a good pick that would make the others think it was me. But her words were convincing, so I put it away._

"Huh...well, if any of you find something that you want to select, let's all agree on it," Bowser Jr. suggested to them all. He let out a small yawn, once again.

"Oh, a dress," Éclair said, seeing a rack near the back of the store full of attire. "It is of similar design to mine, and it is not as expensive as the other dresses." She looked at its price tag: 83 coins.

"Huh…this game tires me a lot," Bowser Jr. said, taking a seat on the stool besides McHallyboo's desk. "I probably didn't get enough sleep last night."

"I agree,"" Mimi said, looking up from the shelf she was searching through. "Why, I'm not enjoying this game as much as I thought I would enjoy it! Hmph." She suddenly let out a small yawn, like Bowser Jr. had, as if she had just woken up from sleep.

"You youngin's!" Zess said, almost in a light scolding voice. "There's no time to become tired during a mission! Especially one this important. Let's continue looking!"

"McHallyboo...where is our host anyway?" Bowser Jr. noticed, looking besides him at the empty seat behind the counter. "The owner of this store is gone, I guess." The host of the game indeed did leave the shop, but for the reason that he did not want to become victim to the many other things the players in the store had to endure later on.

"Well, time to go back!" Zess said, opening the door and heading out. Éclair and Mimi followed her as well. Bowser Jr., however, remained on his stool.

"Will you follow us as well, Bowser Jr?" Éclair asked the player behind her.

"Go ahead to get the coins!" Bowser Jr. told her, still sitting on his stool and lying against the wall of the store. "I'm just gonna rest. Not enough energy, which just stinks. I should be okay."

"Please rest very well." Bowser Jr. nodded. The door of the building was closed shut.

* * *

"I feel like a witness to a crime," Dry Bones said, hanging his head. "I just saw you emit sleeping gas to the other players." Piantissimo looked at his remote, and shrugged.

"It would be done anyway, even if I had given the action a second thought or not," he replied.

"Perhaps if you had given it a third thought, something may have changed," Flurrie said to him. Piantissimo looked down at the remote, and his face looked slightly sorry.

"Ah, well, I do believe they are feeling the effects of the gas," Flurrie said, peering into the distance and seeing one of the figures stumble out of the store, almost in an awkward manner.

Flurrie: _Oh dear…what sinister things had entered into our mind that allowed us to commit an act against our dear friends? This will be hard to be forgiven for in the future._

* * *

The student of the game got up from his stool, boosted and deciding to look around the store a little more. Even though he was tired, he had the feeling that he could find something crucial in a treasure chest, draped under one of the table clothes and hidden from normal eye view. He had spotted it earlier, but did not pull it out then: he had to be alone to retrieve it.

"Sorry players, but there might be an exemption in here," Bowser Jr. said, his voice more curious than ever. He took out the treasure chest, which was small in size, from under the table, then with a small twist, unlocked the latch of the chest. He threw the cover open.

"All right!" he said, discovering coins within the chest. "But what else is here...huh?" Among the fifteen coins that were hidden in the chest was an object that immediately perked his curiosity and confusion even more. It was a small, wooden figurine, and picking it up in his hands, he realized that it was shaped into an animal that was more familiar to him than he thought.

"A…mole?" he deduced. He looked at its price tag: 250 coins.

"It's not like we can buy this," he said with a shrug. He searched the chest more, but to his small disappointment, there was no exemption.

"Ah, oh well. Can't get everything." He put the wooden Mole figurine back into the chest, pocketed the coins he had discovered, and, very carefully, shut the treasure chest closed and placed it back under the table he had found it under. He then sat back at his stool, waiting for the others to come. But for some odd reason that was not made privy to him, he began to realize that the more he rested, the more and more tired he became.

* * *

"I am dumping the sand! Round five!"

"Okay, we're ready!" At this delivery of the grains of sand, Snifit seemed to back his excavator a small bit. It was farther away than it usually was from the trash dumpster, but as the bucket emptied, only half of the sand had gone into the trash dumpster, and half had littered the outside ground of sand.

"Oh darn," he said, realizing the error of his dump. "I missed the container. Some went in. Some didn't."

"Oh man," Tiny said, looking up at him. "But that's okay. Hopefully there wasn't like an emerald diamond that dropped out." She laughed, but even still, there was so much sand in the container that it was already above Tiny's knees.

"Don't worry, Snifit's a fast guy," Dashell reminded. "But he keeps on having…technological glitches." Indeed, both Tiny and Dashell realized that at times during his travels, Snifit's machine would seemingly pause, almost as if the machine was going through a technological error of function.

"You don't think…nah," Dashell said. "He couldn't just be pausing on purpose. Unless he was…"

"The Mole," Tiny said. The three other shoppers arrived from the shop.

"Ah, much more coins!" Zess said, arriving and looking pleased at the pile that had formed besides the trash canister. "This will help us a lot!" Mimi and Éclair began to scoop coins as well.

"Where's Bowser Jr?" Dashell asked, peeping over the edge of the container they were in.

"He said he wanted to rest his body," Éclair said, as confused as the rest of the players. "So he is back in the shop."

"Odd...he's always full of energy," Tiny said. As the three players went back to the shop with new-found money, Tiny stood up, feeling something from the pile of sand beneath her.

"What's this?" she wondered, picking up a circular disc-shaped object from within the sand. "It must have been buried…oh." It was a sifter. Tiny and Dashell looked at each other, both happy their game just got a little bit more advantageous.

* * *

"Come on," said Piantissimo, his voice strangely luring. He walked behind Dry Bones back.

"You know you want to press that button. Every normal player would do it. Nothing to be guilty of!"

Piantissimo: _I was basically going all the way to get Dry Bones and Flurrie to press their buttons. What more can a player in this game do? I needed to appear as one._

"You do know, for every button we press," Flurrie reminded him, "we are simply losing money from the pot as well. Hindering our teammates will hinder their performance, and…oh, just so conflicting." She let out a sigh, closing her eyes.

* * *

"We're back!" Mimi announced, as they opened the door to the shop that they were very familiar with. They entered back into its inside, as Zess sniffed the air.

"There's an odd smell," she noticed. "I just know it."

"Bowser Jr, I am happy to say that we…Bowser Jr?" Éclair called carefully into the room. The stool, which the player had previously sitting on before they left the shop, was no empty.

"Where is…oh my gosh!" The three females saw that on the wooden floor, in an awkward position and clearly not conscious or awake at the moment, was the body of the player. As Mimi shrieked with fear, Zess and Éclair ran up to Bowser Jr, who was lying motionless on the shop's ground.

"What is the matter with him?" Éclair wondered with alarm. "There is probably something he had eaten!" They both saw that Bowser Jr. was indeed alive, and that his body was taking heavy, long breaths. Overall, and to their relief of the players, they saw that his mouth was letting out small sounds, as if one was peacefully snoring.

"It appears he is sleeping," Éclair noticed, her face baffled. "But that is so peculiar. How did he transition from sitting in a chair to lying on the floor?"

"He must have fallen off from his stool," Mimi said, wide-eyed. "But then…why on Earth didn't he wake up?" Bowser Jr. shifted slightly in his sleep.

"I just KNOW there's a peculiar smell in here," Zess said suspiciously, looking around the room. "As a chef, my nose has been sharpened to detect the tiniest and most abnormal of scents."

"Do you think that there's like…oh my gosh, something in the air that's making us all sleep?" Mimi wondered out loud.

"A gas?" Eclair spoke with alarm. "Could it possibly be? It seems...very incomprehensible."

"Nonsense!" Zess spoke, shaking the thought away. "If there was, we would all be sleeping by now. Oh dear, what do we do now? One of our players is sleeping." They tried to shake Bowser Jr, but his motionless told them that he would not be waking up for at least the next many minutes.

"Do you think we're allowed to purchase an object in his place?" Mimi wondered. "Since he can't do it anymore?"

"It is so much more difficult now," Éclair realized, "because we must pick an object for a player we have only known for two days." Bowser Jr. let out a loud snore.

* * *

"Okay!" said Dry Bones, almost as if he finally snapped. He suddenly, without warning, pressed down on the black button on the back of the walkie-talkie.

"Dry Bones!" Flurrie said, in a disbelieving voice. Dry Bones looked apologetic.

"Okay, I snapped," Dry Bones admitted in a sorry voice.

"That is not a good excuse," Flurrie said, in a small scolding voice. But she looked at the remote with a sigh.

Flurrie: _The temptation…it was drawing close. It was a feeling that I just ever so hated._

Though they all cared about the players' situation within the shop, there was something more on all three of their minds that they all wanted to grasp: an important, critical card of green and security.

* * *

"It's so much more difficult now, you're right," said Zess. "How do we know Bowser Jr more than himself? We don't!"

"I think it's all just a-" Suddenly, a loud swoosh sound was heard, and before they knew it, every light in the inside of the store vanished and shut off, leaving the four players in a large room of darkness. Window-less, and in the dark, the three players let out exclamations of panic.

"Oh my gosh, the lights!" Mimi exclaimed with anxiety. "What do we do?"

"Please do not worry," Éclair said reassuringly, "for I will get us light. Please wait." She felt her way to the door of the shop to open it. She pulled, but to her surprise, nothing happened.

"Oh no…it appears the door is not opening," she realized, then turned to the others in the darkness. "If I were to unfortunately presume...I believe we are trapped."

"It's locked?" Mimi shouted. "No! Does that mean we're stuck in darkness until the game ends?"

"What is our time limit?" Zess said, getting more concerned. "We only have, if I were to guess, ten minutes remaining in this game." She was about right: as the game drew closer to its finish, they realized that there was not much time remaining until their time limit expired for the game.

"I may know a way," Éclair suddenly realized, and she made her way towards the end of the store, in the dark blindness of it all. She was reaching forwards, feeling in the dark and making sure she did not bump into anything.

"Éclair! Where are you?" Mimi gasped. "What are you trying to do?"

"Do not worry," Éclair said, feeling around. "I am trying to find an object that Bowser Jr. had discovered earlier. Perhaps it will help us to see in this dark…." Suddenly, she felt something, and grabbed it into her hand. With a small click, a small but significant fire rose up from the darkness of it all. It shined so much, that some of the objects on a surrounding shelf, though still shaded with black, were visible to them.

"Brilliant, girl!" Zess said, clapping her hands in the dark. "Since when did I lose such smartness when I was in my younger days?"

"It is of nothing, but thank you," Eclair said, smiling with relief. "At least we can see now. I am thankful." She held the flame up and carefully began to search the shelves.

"I'm happy we can see, but it's still sooo scary," Mimi noticed.

* * *

"Where on Earth are they?" Tiny said with confusion, peeking out from out of the trash canister. "They haven't been back for like ten whole minutes! And there's so much money we found!"

"I really don't know where they are…duck!" said Dashell, as an eighth bucket of sand was emptied into the container. Now, the amount of sand was so immense that the container the two players were in resembled a miniature sandlot itself: two-thirds of the container was completely taken by the existence of sand, and the remaining third of air was all that was left to keep the two of them alive.

"Even with this sifter, it's still hard to get coins!" Tiny noticed, trying to lift the lower-half of the body, which was buried completely, as much out of the sand as possible.

"There are only eight minutes remaining for this game," Snifit called from above them, as he went to dump another load of sand into the container. In very soon time however, the entire container would be filled with sand, and Dashell and Tiny could only fear the worst until it was over.

* * *

"Ah…wait, why is he coming here?" The three players that were separated from the main area of the game saw a figure making their way to them. Walking in unhurried steps to their place, the three of them could only wonder what message he had in store.

McHallyboo smiled. "Well, two of the three buttons have been pushed," the host said. "It is all out of your selfishness that you are doing this, but never the less, it is for an exemption." The three players looked self-conscious for a second, but remained upright.

"There are eight minutes remaining for this mission," McHallyboo informed them. "In order for this exemption offer to become complete, the final button must be pressed in the next three minutes." Flurrie looked hesitant.

"Mmhmm…so that final role is mine, is it not?" Flurrie asked again, looking down at the remote walkie-talkie which had passed to her. All eyes turned to the cloud spirit.

"What will be your decision?" he asked. As Flurrie opened her mouth to speak, McHallyboo looked hard at the player.

"I will…well, you see," Flurrie started, closing her eyes for a second, thinking hard. "Yes...I think I know."

Flurrie: _I had decided my decision. Yes, it was a decision that may have conflicted to my real personality over the past years…a BIG confliction, if I will say._

"I will make a decision," Flurrie said, looking at the host, "and I will not press the yellow button." Her two teammates, shocked, looked at her with gaping mouths.

"Wh..what?" Piantissimo stuttered.

"I have been in my past years a self-centered person," Flurrie began, facing them all. "When I was growing up as an actress, I would take every opportunity I could to succeed over other people. And even though I had become successful, there were quite those few but strong moments when I would look back and simply have too much guilt. If you very well see, it was the guilt from the memories of disadvantaging someone else in my past for my own, self-centered benefit. It is simply not worth it." She looked at the remote, which was still in her hand.

"So I will not press this silly button, just to help myself and hurt other, nice people," Flurrie said, almost as if speaking to the remote. "Even if one of them is the devious Mole." With a smile of triumph and calmness, she dropped the remote to the dusty ground.

"Well...what a speech" said McHallyboo, impressed himself. Piantissimo looked down at the ground.

"Well, I believe the decision has been made!" McHallyboo announced, looking at the female player. "None of you win the opportunity to gain an exemption, but everything that you put upon your other teammates, the gas and the darkness, will be removed immediately. Nobody will be electricuted. Carry on." McHallyboo, as soon as he had come, left. Dry Bones and Piantissimo just looked at Flurrie.

"What?" she said, in a voice of amusement. "Was my decision not shocking enough?"

* * *

The lights were back on.

"Bowser Junior!" said Mimi, lifting him up. The sleeping playing had stirred a bit from the sudden boost of light.

"A cook book!" exclaimed Zess. She had been crouching on the ground before the lights had turned on, and when it came back, a stack of magazines and various books were hidden beneath one of the larger shelves in the room. Within the stack was a book of recipes, with a price: 35 coins.

"Zess, that was an amazing find," Éclair said with a smile. "It was a find of sharp eyes and wisdom."

"Pfft," said Zess, opening the door of the shop again. "Only shows that I got a snooping eye! Oh, and I'll be back to get more treasure from the others. They ought to have found a pile by now." As Zess went off to the sand lot, Éclair noticed something in a bureau, metal and larger than most of the objects present.

"It is…a waffle iron," she realized with awe, taking out the antique object slowly. "It is quite beautiful…and might help us." She looked at the sleeping player on the floor.

"If we used this for Bowser Jr, do you think it will suffice?" the princess asked Mimi. Mimi looked at the player, then at the device.

"Fire…that's right!" Mimi realized. "I think so! But doesn't that look like a cooking object? People might mistake it for Zess!"

"The fortunate thing is," Éclair said with a satisfied smile and looking at another object, "is that Zess already has a cook book. That cookbook, a book of recipes….only a foolish individual would mistake it for someone else's, other than Zess."

"Yeah! The only person who would mistake is…the Mole" Mimi pointed out. "Do you think that Dry Bones, Flurrie, or Piantissimo might sabotage their part of the game?"

"It is hard to tell," Eclair said truthfully. "True, if one of them is the Mole, our efforts are all for naught. But let's not worry about that for now." Éclair paused.

"Oh no, but then I am from the Waffle Kingdom," Éclair said, looking defeated. "I might be mistaken…oh." Her eyes lit up with realization.

"I have not told anyone that," Éclair said with revelation. "I have never divulged to anyone that I am from the waffle kingdom. I am thankful for that." The princess turned the waffle iron upside-down, to study it more.

"Look look look!" Mimi looked over at the device as well. In small text, among the copyright text engraved into the bottom of the waffle iron was a single word that made them surprised to the maximum: the word 'Firemaker Corporation'".

"Fire maker...like a dragon! This object is like, meant for Bowser Jr!" Mimi said excitedly. "We must must must must get it! How much is it?" A price tag was attached to its bottom: 50 coins.

"It does not look like a treasure," Éclair said, "but it may help us win this game. Mimi, have you found something to buy for yourself? I believe we are running out of time."

"Yes, actually!" she said, and she held up something to the princess. They were small in size, but in a pair. She had chosen a pair of earrings, tan in color and curve-shaped.

"Look: crescent-shape earrings," Mimi said. "Look at the label. See, everyone knows I like to wear fancy stuff, so this has to be good for me! And it's so cheap too! Only 10 coins! And you don't even wear earrings so they can't mistake it for you."

"I am choosing the dress I had seen earlier for myself," Éclair said, removing the dress from the rack in the store. "Its design is very similar to mine. But, I do hope we have enough money to buy it. I hope Zess…"

"Girls, I won the jackpot!" the elderly woman cried, bringing in a bucket of gold-glowing mass. "Coins, coins!" It was the biggest collection of coins that any of them had seen for the entire game. Mimi and Éclair stared at it, in wonder of how many coins lay inside.

"Snifit claimed that he found this bag of money within the seat of his excavator machine," Zess said, laughing. "I don't know how he did it, but whoopee!"

"Under his seat?" Mimi wondered. "He actually thought to do that? How smart is he?"

"Zess, I believe we have chosen our four items," Éclair said, who had lined up the objects for her to see. "Please state if you agree or dissent with our choices. I have chosen this dress."

"And me, these pretty earrings, that I don't think anyone would mistake it for anyone else!" Mimi said, showing them to her. "Éclair doesn't wear earrings, so I don't think they would choose her for it."

"You are the cook book, and Bowser Jr," Éclair said, pointing to the important device, "will be the waffle iron. We have both justified his choice on two reasons: my history of being from the Waffle Kingdom was never divulged to anyone, and that the cook book will outweigh you for being chosen for this device, which cooks food as well."

"You're from a kingdom full of waffles?" Zess said, flabbergasted. "Never knew. And sure! As long as it wasn't that horrid spiky black bracelet Bowser Jr. was trying to suggest. I don't think that would justify him at all."

"I think we're set," said Mimi, looking at her partners happily. All of a sudden, they heard the loudest snore, as a player woke from his slumber.

"Hey…hey guys, what are you all standing there for?" Bowser Jr. said, a little groggy from his sleep and shaking his head. "Let's go complete this mission! We're running out of times, and haven't even selected our objects yet!" The three females could only chuckle at the young and still-groggy player's statement.

* * *

"Ah, I believe we are done with this…sandy mission," Tiny said, her voice relieved. "Thank goodness we can get out of this!" They had been notified by Snifit via his walkie-talkie that the timer expired.

"I'm out of this compartment!" Dashell hopped out first, and went to help the player who was stepping her way out of the tall trash dumpster.

"Grab my hand, I got you…hold on," said Dashell, reaching up to the exiting player.

"My shoe is stuck…there!" said Tiny, hopping down with Dashell's assistance. But as Tiny Kong hit the ground, something else hit the ground as well, and Dashell stopped. He had seen a coin, fall to the ground, but before it had hit the pavement he had seen it come directly out of the front pocket of Tiny Kong's pants.

"A coin?" Tiny said, bewildered and looking around.

"Yep," said Dashell, then after a slight pause, decided to add, "I think I saw it fall from your pocket."

"Oh," Tiny Kong said with disbelief, laughing. "I guess it must have fallen into my pocket as the sand dumped on us. That container was so strenuous. I guess we didn't get everything."

Dashell: _Maybe I should have questioned her more at that moment, but I didn't. I can only speculate why a coin had fallen out of her pocket, and whether that coin simply fell into her pocket during the course of the game. I didn't know what to think. Maybe it was something, or maybe it was nothing._

"Hey Snifit, had a fun time digging to your pleasure…like the mole would dig?" Tiny joked, seeing the masked player make his way over to them.

"It was actually really fun," Snifit replied, his hands in his pockets. He then looked at the two of them.

"Would any of you like to trade?" he said suddenly. Both Dashell and Tiny Kong looked at him, a little oddly.

"Trade…you're talking as if you have something valuable right now that's tradable," Dashell said, slightly amused, and looked back forwards.

"That's because I do," Snifit said, his eyes glowing underneath his mask. "You see, I have an exemption."

* * *

**OHHH...snap. These players are just so secretive, and delivering surprises one by one. It's scary D:**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Mission 2 was definitely an interesting, multi-layered game. In my head at first, I had no idea how it would play out! But I'm happy it went smoothly : ) **

**Anyways, you all had some very awesome and interesting viewpoints, in your reviews, and theories too! I really love seeing and reading them all! : ) they are either so creative, or so right! Anyways, let's see...**

* * *

**sixthsense6:** Excellent hashtag xD. And yes, some players just change in characteristics, and others don't! It's quite an interesting mix.

**PSULucky: **Congrats! I believe you were correct about the "grandest treasure" bit! Very nice eye indeed. And about the players, I do agree that they finally began shaping up. I'm happy you see that! Some of them are definitely shady, but there's always another alternate dimension to their supposed images. Besides one of them being the Mole! heh. As for the "clue" you had discovered, do not be afraid to state it any time! I am so curious on what readers have found and what not. : )

**Moley Koopa:** Yes, haha! It's almost as if the mission was designed to be sabotage-able (is that a word?) to the players! So good for the Mole. And like I said before, with any clues you have found, feel free to state them in a review any time!

**AdmiralBobbery: **Thank you sir!A great suspects list and deduction of suspects. And yes, as the game goes on, you'll see more of who the characters are, and what comes out from them, because some things are ambiguous. And about quick updates, I guess that'll be happening more this season, so I am happy for that! xD Thank you, Admiral Bobbery!

**Blucad: **That was indeed, a wonderful, superb analyzation! I must genuinely thank you for writing your words and theory, because I very well enjoyed reading it very much : ) And also, it makes me really happy that you went to analyze the dreams in the story. They are not random and do have meaning, so I'm happy you put thought into that : ) Ah, and your mention of Season 2 brings me fond memories. I'm glad you liked (insert character). I guess I made him likeable as the game went, hehe, cause I liked him very much too actually!

**FireKai**: Ah, that is a greatly written theory! Hmm, I believe, on next part, part of it may or may not be answered! I guess we will both see xD And about Snifit, correcto-mundo! You also get a cookie! Either way, your last part of your review made me shed an inner tear and I thank you for your words like always, Firekai!

**fredthemontymole**:Hello hello hello! It is great to see you there, sir : ) and yes, I am happy you will be able to tag along with the story as well! I look forward to your words! Very nice perspectives and analyzing on some of the players, I must say. About your Vera Claythorne and Philip Lombard mention, I do know they are characters in And Then They Were None, never read the book. So I did a quick google run through. but I think I know what you're saying! Good analyzing, yus.

**Princess Toady**: I really do like your suspects list and favorite characters too! Maybe know a little bit more than most people because you were a very Mole yourself? : ) hehe. But your suspect theories are very great as well and I enjoyed looking and thinking about them as well! And I must say, I was very amused by your list of characters you weren't particular of. Some players, in my past seasons, I would feel like slapping them too. xD

**Coooool123: **Thank you! And yes, I guess I SHOULD elaborate on the whole "McHallyboo/McBallyhoo" character aspect, hehe. So being quite not as intelligent in my first series, I did not bother looking up more on the host's name spelling, and went ahead with claiming him as "McHallyboo". Then I realized that not only was his name McBallyboo, the MC part was a completely different name title. So! I just kept with "McHallyboo", because, one, I was already in Episode 2 when I realized this error. And second: at this point. I consider McHallyboo as a DIFFERENT dimension of the actual Mc Ballyhoo. Except this character dedicates his time to hosting awesome Mole games. I hope that made a little more sense to you! If it didn't, don't worry. I'm not surprised : )

* * *

**Anyways, thank you all so very much once again! You all make this wonderful and going on. Oh...old fans are going to kill me. But I WON'T BE DOING "FINAL DESTINATION CLUES" ANYMORE! Whaa! -dodges lightning cloud shock-**

**But yes, I was afraid they gave away too much at some points of who was going to be executed next. So! I will keep them all random for now : )**

**No one knows you will be executed next...except for the Mole.**

**OH, AND THERE'S A NEW POLL UP ON MY PROFILE! I would like to do these at the end of before every execution and episode ending. Thank you all! UP TO THREE VOTES! Episode 1: Who is the Mole of The Mole: Agent's Elevation? At the end of the next chapter, I shall display everyone's votes.**

**The end of Mission 2's sandy game of purchasing and deception, will be concluded and revealed. In addition, along with the Mole's very first victim! Who will be going home in the very first execution of the game? Tension amuck! Stay tuned guys!**


	5. The Exit of One

**Part 5! Yes yes. I am glad to conclude the very first episode of The Mole: Agent's Elevation. I apologize for its length! But I am happy it is over for the time being : ) haha.**

**What will occur in these last moments of the players? Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Episode 1 (Final Part)**

"Where did you-"

"Before I was going to dump another load, this is what happened," Snifit explained to them, the green card in his hand swaying back and forth with his swaying arm. "I was watching literally every sand bucket for something suspicious. I just knew something was up."

"And…why is that?" Tiny questioned.

"Because," said Snifit, "McHallyboo said there was the 'grandest of treasure' somewhere in the sand. So I just knew." Dashell and Tiny Kong looked at the player, incredulous.

"…and you deduced there was an exemption somewhere…from McHallyboo's one line which we, as players, aren't really supposed to get," was all Dashell could say. Snifit only nodded.

Dashell: _There are a lot of moments in this game where I suspect other people. I didn't know whether to __praise Snifit for his smartness or suspect him._  


"I praise you for your smartness," Dashell said, giving the player a pat on the back. "But how are we going to exactly trade for it, if we want it?"

"I really don't know," Snifit admitted, sheepishly. "I just wanted to make it dramatic when I announced it to you guys. I'm not…really going to trade it." He faced the other two, who both tried to hide their frustration.

* * *

The clock ticked on McHallyboo's watch. The three archeologists were located into the center of the town, standing before a table that held four crucial objects. It was a suspicious sight.

"I hope they do this correctly," whispered Zess. "Or this game will become a disaster." The rest of the players were all lined up in a row, a very short distance away from the table but close enough to hear every word and every choice made by their three teammates.

"We have to win this," Dry Bones whispered to Piantissimo, who was standing next to him.

"Well, as long as neither you, or Flurrie, is the Mole, this shall go smoothly," Piantissimo replied back. "I have no other intention but to win the money." McHallyboo approached the three of them.

"Four objects were chosen from the inside of the shop," McHallyboo announced, standing on the other side of the table from the three archeologists. "It is now your job, as the archeologists of this game, to study these objects and give to me your answers to an important question: which object belongs to which player?" On the table, four objects were placed adjacent to each other under the blazing sun, almost glistening out to the players: the earrings, the waffle iron, the cookbook, and the dress.

"Out of the other seven players," McHallyboo added to them, "you must select which four matches with which." Mimi, from the row of players, gasped.

"Out of the seven people?" she said with worry. "I didn't know it would be out of all seven of us!"

Mimi: _I chose those earrings, and I was like, oh my gosh. I thought it was just going to be between the four shoppers they would have to distinguish. I did not know it would be out of the shoppers AND the diggers!_

"You have just five minutes to make your choices. Time starts…now!" The three players, immediately, went up to the objects and grabbed them into their hands.

"Okay, first one!" Dry Bones said, picking up the dress. "This object looks like it coincides with the females in the group, so it could be that."

"Yes, quite obviously," Flurrie said. Dry Bones looked at it for a second.

"But then...it could be some sort of reverse psychology. Could it be that a male picked this dress?"

"A male?" Piantissimo immediately inquired. "It's possible, but really? I don't think one of the guys would choose a dress to describe themself."

"I don't know, but what if one of them has a wife?" Dry Bones suggested with wonder, shrugging.

"I think that dress looks exactly like Princess Éclair's, and that is that," Flurrie said, studying it. "It's an obvious choice. The designs look similar to hers."

"I think so too," Piantissimo said, giving it another look. "Let's save this for Éclair…or…" He looked at it again.

"Or possibly Mimi." The players moved onto the waffle iron.

"This looks like some constructed piece of equipment from 50 years ago," Dry Bones immediately realized. "It…looks like an antique." He jumped up.

"Maybe someone like Mimi, who's a maid and needs to dust things, would have chosen something like that?" Piantissimo pondered, shaking his head.

"It's a waffle iron, no doubt," Piantissimo said. "Nothing…wait, Zess is a chef!"

"No, but look here," Flurrie said, holding up the cook book. "Who else would choose a cook book than the chef? The cook book is a clear indicator that the waffle iron is not Zess' object." Éclair, from the stands, smiled at Flurrie's words.

"That is true," Piantissimo spoke. "Maybe if Bowser Jr. liked to cook with his fire…" The three players faced each other.

"The waffle iron must be Bowser Jr's!" Flurrie spoke up.

"Yes!" Mimi said excitedly, high-fiving Éclair.

"I'm still suspicious…the cook book seems too obvious to be Zess'," Piantissimo said honestly, looking at it. "There might be a second side to it, and it might NOT be Zess' object."

"What!" Bowser Jr. hissed from the line of other players. "No, no, no! That does not make sense!" The crowd of players looked worriedly from the stands in the back.

"Okay…we'll keep it in mind." The three players moved onto the last object that was placed on the table: the pair of earrings.

"Okay…so let's think," Flurrie said. "I believe it is a female's, since none of the males on that team have earrings."

"Or like I said earlier, maybe it was a male choosing a feminine object, to represent someone else," Dry Bones said to the group, thinking. "It's a possibility!" Piantissimo gave him a weird look.

Piantissimo: _I don't know if it's just me, but some of Dry Bones' theories made no sense at all. And he was serious about them. I wasn't sure if he just had an imaginative mind or something._

"It might be…but I would think otherwise…?" Flurrie considered.

"It kinda looks like…a crescent moon?" Piantissimo said, taking it into his hands. "Who is symbolized by the moon?"

"I do not know," Flurrie commented. "Perhaps me, because I am with the sky, but I am here."

"Snifit might kinda be symbolized by the moon," Dry Bones spoke up. "He's mysterious and all. Like…"

"The dark side of the moon?" Piantissimo pondered, looking carefully at the earrings for a second. "You know what, I think it is an interesting option, and I will consider it. Maybe it is Snifit's. Maybe it is a male's!"

"Two and a half minutes remaining!" called out McHallyboo.

"Snifit, I don't believe he would choose earrings…I believe it might be Mimi's," Flurrie decided. "Éclair does not wear earrings, and Tiny wears different earrings. Mimi would wear such unique earrings, with her perculiar style."

"So it's either Snifit's or Mimi's," Piantissimo said, then looked at Dry Bones. "What do you think?"

"Actually…I'm going to go say that the earrings look like Mimi's item," Dry Bones decided. "Sorry Piantissimo!" Piantissimo shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"It was you who suggested it to be Snifit's item in the first place," Piantissimo pointed out.

"No I didn't!" Dry Bones said defensively. "That's…wait, well, I did suggest they were Snifit's. My bad, Piantissimo." He gave a little shrug.

"Okay, let's go down our list," Flurrie told the other two. "We have a waffle iron for Bowser Jr, a dress for Éclair, earrings for Mimi, and a cookbook for Zess. Shall we submit a final answer?"

"I want to switch out that cookbook," Piantissimo said in a truthful voice, picking up the book into his hands. "It seems way too obvious to be Zess'. Maybe the waffle iron is hers."

Tiny Kong: _That cook book was clear Zess'! I would have done a better job as an archeologist, than Piantissimo's irrational thinking._

"Maybe the waffle iron is actually Zess!" Dry Bones butted in. "Bowser Jr. would never choose anything near cooking!"

Flurrie: _Oh dearest me. Right when we think we have everything finalized, someone brings in a new, rather ridiculous theory of why an object belongs to someone else and why it does not belong to someone else._

"There is so much speaking occurring," Éclair whispered to Bowser Jr. "I do not know what to make of it."

"Either they're just thinking really hard," said Bowser Jr, "or one of them is trying to mess up the final choice of the game."

"I still have hope," Eclair said, looking at the three players.

"This whole game is like...falling apart!" Tiny couldn't help but say.

"Then who would you think the cookbook would be for?" Flurrie asked Piantissimo and Dry Bones.

"I…don't know," Dry Bones admitted, sheepishly.

"Maybe Éclair," Piantissimo suddenly piped up. "Because she likes to make pastries."

"Oh dear," Eclair said, putting a hand to her forehead with weariness.

"You have around one minute and half remaining," McHallyboo said. The three players took a moment to look over their objects.

"Well, if we were to go with our guess," Flurrie said, "then it would be…."

"Look here!" Dry Bones said, picking up the cookbook. "If you look at the back of the synopsis of the book, it says, 'Published by Sports Agent Corporations!'" The three of them faced each other.

"Sports Agent…like what Dashell's occupation?" Flurrie said. "Oh…then…I guess the cookbook was chosen by him."

"Huh?" Everyone in the crowd of players, instantly, turned to Dashell.

"What?" Dashell said from the line of players. "I didn't even buy the objects. Don't they know that?"

"They don't," Mimi said with great worry. "This whole game is a train wreck!"

"Why would the word, 'Sports Agent' be on the back of a cookbook?" Snifit wondered to himself, looking at the player on the other side of him.

"OH MY GOODNESS," Flurrie shouted, then covered her mouth. "No, the waffle iron must definitely be Éclair's. She is from the Waffle Kingdom!" Zess and Éclair exchanged glances of alarm.

"What! How does she know that?" Zess shouted quietly, looking at the wind spirit. "I don't even remember Flurrie knowing so much about everyone."

"Are you sure?" Dry Bones said, picking up the waffle iron. "I don't remember Eclair saying that at all! I think this is Zess' item!"

"Yeah, are you sure you want to go with that?" Piantissimo asked Flurrie, doubtful. "Unless you're simply and positively sure."

"Oh, but I know indeed," Flurrie said, with a smile of triumph. "I know very well. Nobody would pick that object but her." Dry Bones and Piantissimo nodded, giving in to their teammate.

"Okay, so if the waffle iron is hers, then the dress…"

"Like I said before," Piantissimo said, confidently. "The dress must be Mimi's then."

"But then if the dress is Mimi's, then whose earrings are these?" Dry Bones exclaimed, holding them up.

"Twenty-five seconds," came McHallyboo's voice.

"Oh, wait, if you look at these…they're bananas!" Flurrie and Piantissimo considered Dry Bones' statement: they could see the similarity that the player had stated. The curved shape of the earrings and its tan color as well resembled that of a banana.

"Tiny Kong!" Piantissimo said, looking more triumphant. "The earrings must be Tiny Kong's!"

"No, it's wrong! It's all a mistake!" shouted Bowser Jr. from their spot, as Mimi went to muffle his mouth, since they weren't allowed to speak. McHallyboo shot Bowser Jr. a quick look, then faced back to the others.

"Are we still going with the cookbook being Zess'?" Piantissimo said, reluctantly.

"Yes, we will," Flurrie stated. "Final answers?"

"Final answers." Flurrie faced McHallyboo.

"Host, sweetie, I believe we have our answer," Flurrie said to the host. The host coughed, then motioned his hand to the other seven who were situated away from the table to come closer. As they made their way to the archeologists, they remained on one side of the table, as the archeologists remained on the other side. In between, the four important objects lay in front of them.

"The decisions on the four objects have been made!" McHallyboo announced. "Now, I would like to hear your final choices. Please, state your decisions one by one." Looking at each other, Flurrie decided to speak.

"For the first object, the Cook Book, we had decided that it was for Zess," Flurrie said to everyone. "Zess was a chef, and we thought it would be most appropriate for her to choose the cook book. So that was that. We were a little suspicious that, however, that on the back of the book, it displayed the phrase, 'Sports Agent' on it."

"Well, that was a close one," Zess said with a look of relief.

Snifit: _A smart, Moley move is that maybe Zess chose that book, hoping that they would see the phrase 'Sports Agent'_ _on the back. They would have mistaken the cook book for being Dashell's because of that word. It was a strange coincidence._

"That is five-thousand coins to the pot," McHallyboo told the players, "because yes, that is Zess' object! Congratulations." All the players clapped and cheered in the middle of the desert town.

"For Object Two," Flurrie spoke up, "we did the waffle iron. At first, we believed it was Bowser Jr's. But then I remembered at the last second that Éclair is from the Waffle Kingdom. So we had chosen Éclair for the waffle iron."

"That decision is…incorrect," McHallyboo said. Flurrie's mouth opened with shock, as Piantissimo kicked the sand beneath him.

"I knew it!" Piantissimo said. "I knew Éclair didn't even tell us anything about a Waffle Kingdom and wouldn't have picked that for her own object!"

"I am, indeed, from the Waffle Kingdom," Éclair spoke up. "I did not know Flurrie knew that." Éclair seemed to bow apologetically to Flurrie.

"It is okay," Flurrie said, then faced Piantissimo with a look of repugnance.

Zess: _You have to admit, it was very fishy that Flurrie knew that information. None of us knew any information about each other, so how did she know something so insignificant, that applied to this game?_

"For Object 3," McHallyboo continued, "you as a group decided that it was Mimi's. But it was Éclair's dress." This time, Piantissimo's mouth dropped open, having suggested the choice.

Flurrie: _Piantissimo simply had to fall the dress to be under Mimi, even before I had mentioned the entire waffle situation. He, out of everyone, sabotaged first._

"I thought it would be Mimi's," he said, still stunned. "But listen guys!" He faced the crowd of players.

"If Flurrie didn't change her mind about the waffle iron, then none of this would have happened!"

"You are a lover to the blaming goddess, are you not?" Flurrie realized, keeping her temper cool, in opposition to her teammate. "Do not blame me, just because I am knowledgeable and quite less dim-witted than you." Mimi giggled at her sentence.

"And so these earrings," McHallyboo finished, "were not Tiny Kong's. They were Mimi's." This time, it was Dry Bones who looked shocked.

"But, you see…" he protested, and then hung his head. "I really thought it would be Tiny Kong' earrings! Look." He held them up for the rest of the players to see.

"Don't they look like bananas?"

Dashell: _You had Dry Bones, who was making up strange theories on the objects the entire end of the game, and then Mimi, who selected such ambiguous earrings. You can't help but think: if one of them is the Mole, then did their sabotage well._

"Who chose the waffle iron, in the first place?" Piantissimo demanded. "Show yourself! Mole!" For a moment, no one stepped up. But then, it was Éclair who stepped boldly from the line of players.

"It was I who had selected the waffle iron," said Éclair, bowing down to the three archeologists. "I had believed it would be the best decision for the group. It is my fault, and for that, I am sorry." Dashell, from behind her, could only stare forwards. He had a look of sorriness on his face.

Dry Bones: _Eclair, now that was suspicious...but I can't help but suspect that someone else had a say in choosing that waffle iron. Mimi or Bowser Jr.…they both have a way with words, and I don't think the blame should only fall on one person only._

Tiny: _There was a bunch of suspicious activity in this game. And for all we know, the Mole just sat back in the background, laughing at everything that had gone wrong in this mission._

Zess: _The archeologists…why, they did an awful job! I could have done a ten times better job than some of the players on that team. It makes me think that there was some purposeful sabotage...some way or another in this game._

"Well, never the less for this game, you all lost 15,000 coins for this game…due to many reasons," McHallyboo concluded, picking up the moon earrings from the table. "That is all. However, the pot takes home 5,000 coins. So your efforts, as much as many of them were faulty, did not go in vain." The players, even with their loss, still had a win. They clapped.

**Team Pot**

_**15,000 COINS**_

"Oh, and one more thing," McHallyboo spoke up, almost forgetting. He faced the lone player in the red suit, who looked a bit taken back by McHallyboo's mention.

"Snifit was able to find an exemption hidden in the sand," the host explained. "I did mention that the sand lot would hold the grandest of treasures. Snifit: you will NOT be eliminated for this first episode." The players all looked at Snifit with awe and surprise. Some of them looked at him with jealousy.

Tiny Kong: _It IS kind of suspicious, the way he found his exemption. I don't even think he could get a clear look of his bucket from inside the excavator. So how did he know it was there?_

"Diggers, great job today," McHallyboo said, and he gave a small wink to Tiny Kong and Dashell. Bowser Jr. looked at the two treasure hunters, confused.

Bowser Jr: McHallyboo...gave this small wink towards the direction of the two treasure hunters, which was weird. I honestly think they didn't help us at all.

"Well, this mission is over," McHallyboo said, who continued looking at the earrings he was holding. "I must warn you all, that when the moon rises, you will know that the time will be closer to one of you leaving." The players all turned to him.

"Because tonight, you will be all taking your first quiz about the Mole. And after that, one of you…the first victim of this game…will leave this game."

* * *

There were special reservations made in the inns of Yold Town for the day. Sharing four rooms once again, it was almost as if the players' tents from earlier in their game transformed into bedrooms for the remainder of Episode 1. However, that night…one of them would be leaving the land of the desert. The land of the Mole.

"Flurrie is absolutely the Mole!" Piantissimo said, facing Bowser Jr from his bed. "Or Éclair. It is infuriating, especially when one insults you in a game!" He removed his glove, and instead of putting it on a drawer desk like usual, threw it against the room's wall with anger and weariness, causing Bowser Jr. to jump.

"Hey, dude, calm down!" Bowser Jr. said, his face genuinely filled with alarm. "You're getting mad over some, well, fictional game! This is all fake! Everything in this game is fake! Look: even the sun is fake!" Bowser Jr. pointed out the window, and both players saw that indeed, after studying it for the past day, the sun could not truly resemble the true image of the sun in their real world. Piantissimo was looking at the carpet ground.

"So no need to get riled up...we'll play this game together, huh?" Bowser Jr. said, offering his hand out to Piantissimo.

"Yes." Piantissimo took another breath, looking down. "Please do not mind me. I am being a bad player." They were in their room: room 250, and while most of the players were exploring outside the building, the two players decided to discuss in their sanctuary of their room. No words could be heard, and their words couldn't be heard either.

"Your suspicions of Flurrie hold substance," Bowser Jr. told him, looking out the window. "But Piantissimo, come on. You can't help but notice that there was a lot of background, suspicious activity in that game." The player opened his journal, and then looked back at Piantissimo.

"The Mole, this season, probably likes to stay in the background," Bowser Jr. told Piantissimo.

"What makes you say that?" Piantissimo asked with a blank look.

"It's pretty simple," Bowser Jr replied, taking out a pen, then quickly, be began drawing a small diagram in his journal. After a small moment of pen-drawing, he got up, showing Piantissimo the arrangement of circles and squares he had drawn on his page.

"It looks rather complicated," Piantissimo commented with a voice of disinterest.

"The game originated at the point of the treasure hunters. They retrieved the coins, the shoppers bought objects with the coins, and you, the archeologists, judged the objects which were bought by the coins." Piantissimo just looked at the diagram.

"So?" said Piantissimo, still not sounding interested.

"In order to buy objects, the shoppers needed money," Bowser Jr. elaborated. "And guess what happens when the treasure hunters don't dig enough cash for us?" Piantissimo looked at him.

"You wouldn't be able to buy objects that defined you guys better," Piantissimo realized. He thought, but then swiftly shook his head.

"But Dashell or Tiny Kong cannot be the Mole?" Piantissimo scoffed. "Hah! You think I would believe that Dashell, the one who says 'Do not vote for me?' is the Mole? It is a trick by him."

"Or so you might think," Bowser Jr. said. "Maybe it is a trick, Piantissimo. Maybe it is a trick."

Piantissimo: _I guess you had to consider every single combination of suspicious activities. Some people weren't suspicious unless you studied them more._

"It is an interesting perspective," Piantissimo considered. "But okay."

"First quiz: tonight," Bowser Jr. reminded him. "Let's both do our best to not get executed." He looked into his journal, which was one full of emptiness: he needed to write more in it before the first quiz of their game.

* * *

"Éclair!" came a voice from down the hall. As Éclair turned around from exiting her room in the inn, she saw Dashell, making his way over to her in the hallway.

"Oh, good evening, Dashell," the princess replied politely. She was wearing a white dress, the air in the hallway making it expand in a beautiful manner.

"Oh…it is a nice dress you are wearing," Dashell said, his mind drawing blank as he tried to start a conversation with the player. "From a distance, you looked like some sort of…big cloud." They stood in the hallway, silent.

"Oh…thank you?" Éclair replied, more confused than ever.

Dashell: _Man. Sometimes, my conversations don't begin at all as I like them to_.

"So, I just wanted to say that earlier in that mission, when they had to pick the objects, and Piantissimo called someone to take the blame, and you stepped up…" Dashell began, looking down at the carpet. Éclair looked at him, still puzzled.

"I just wanted to say that it was really brave of you to step forwards like that," Dashell told her. "I wouldn't have been able to step forward, if I had made a mistake like that in this game. It was a really brave action." The princess looked surprised at his words, then faintly smiled. She turned to face the other way.

"It is always proper to step forwards and swallow your pride," Éclair said, looking down the hallway of the inn. "It was a lesson from my own mother, and I will teach it to my children as well. It is how I live and how I wish everyone to live. It is…nothing to be admired for in this game." She faced Dashell.

"But, thank you for your kind words, Dashell" she told him. Dashell shook his head heavily, feeling relieved.

"No, not at all, please," he spoke to her. "You know, I just felt bad, that's all. People like you being blamed, even when they don't deserve to be blamed. Which is kind of funny to think that in this game, since everyone gets blamed anyway." He cleared his throat.

"Before I go off, I just wanted to tell you one thing," he decided to say, and he took something out. "I saw something today, that might mean something or not. This coin fell out of Tiny Kong's pocket. I was there when it fell out." He looked around their location, almost as if the discussed player was around them.

"What is the meaning?" Éclair asked, not understanding. "It is simply one coin. Surely you are not referring to the possibility that she would pocket coins during the game. It is ridiculous."

"I have this theory…and it's crazy," Dashell said, his eyes determined. "But I really don't know." Éclair looked at him, her eyes wide.

"Do you believe it is true?" Éclair said. "But Tiny Kong…she is so guiltless."

"Take it with a grain of salt," Dashell said, at the same time, putting the coin away. "I don't want to get you on the wrong track or anything, in case it wasn't anything important. You know, if she's not the Mole, I don't want you executed for believing me." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Please believe whatever you want," Dashell said to her. "It's your game, anyway. I can't control it." Eclair looked at him.

"Then, regardless if they help me or not…thank you for your words," Éclair spoke. "It is kind for you to discuss this with me." Dashell looked up at her, slightly grateful for her sentence.

"Well…please go your own way now," Dashell said, bowing himself. "Sorry for interrupting you at such a random time, especially in the middle of this dirty hallway. You know, since you're used to golden walls and everything." Éclair covered her mouth, smiling at the Pixl's statement.

"Yes. It was a pleasure talking with you," Eclair replied, turning around to leave down the hallway. "Good night…I will see you at dinner?"

"Yes, dinner." Dashell nodded, then after a small, brief while, went down the other direction.

* * *

"Dashell kept on giving me weird looks as we were getting out of the trash canister. And I don't know what was up with that!" Tiny Kong shook her head with incredulity, as Flurrie walked by her side. On her right, Mimi too was joining their stroll down the long path of Yold Town.

"Maybe he suspects me of being the Mole, but what do I care?" Tiny said, in a voice of exasperation. "I'm not…the…Mole."

Tiny Kong: _I'm not the Mole of this game. The funny thing is, even though I'm not the traitor, it was still really annoying and frustrating to hear people suspecting me over and over._

"Don't worry Tiny, I don't think you're the Mole at all," Mimi said, hugging the player playfully. "You couldn't be it!"

"You did do a good job digging too, I had heard," Flurrie said, as Tiny Kong smiled with appreciation.

"Thanks, guys. This game is just so frustrating to play." She, Flurrie, and Mimi all walked besides each other. The three females were walking the pathway that went down Yold Town, their first initial goal of leisurely shopping turning into a heavy discussion stroll about the Mole.

Flurrie: _I could have been walking with the Mole at that moment, but I did not think of it_. _I had a large amount of trust in my two friends, but did I know any better if one of them was secretly backstabbing me?_

"I didn't even think those earrings looked like bananas," Flurrie spoke, agreeing with Mimi. "That was sabotage right there, I believe."

"Thank you sooo much," Mimi said, rolling her eyes, as the three females walked on together. "And that dress. I mean, wasn't Piantissimo suspicious? It's like everyone else in this game is the Mole but us!"

"He seems too conceited to be the Mole though," Flurrie thought, remembering her events with her archeologist teammate. "And he was so serious in discussion…but like everything else, I will put more thought into it." The players passed by the important, eerier looking shop building as they walked on, the memories of the game still fresh in their minds.

Tiny Kong: _There was a lot of suspicious activity in the game, that the list could go on for miles and miles. You just had to pick them up one by one._

"How about Dry Bones?" Tiny brought up. Tiny was holding her journal in her arms, peeking into it every so often.

"A lot of people kind of disregarded him in that game. But his choices for the objects were really…odd."

"True, his words did bring me to raise an eyebrow or two," Flurrie spoke, remembering. "But how can someone so genuinely afraid of heights be the Mole?"

"It's a good persona to pull," Mimi said, looking at the players and thinking sharply. "A silly, scared player. But…a coward Mole?" Mimi giggled. Flurrie closed her eyes, with a small smile.

"I have studied many actors and actresses in the past," Flurrie told the other two players besides her. "When it comes to suspicious...sometimes I can tell who is truly genuine or not. I have lost the skill a bit, however."

"Knowing how suspicious players are because of your acting experience?" Mimi said, almost admirably. "You have a great advantage in this game."

"Snifit is…I just don't know about that guy," Tiny said, shaking her head. "One second, he doesn't talk, and the next second, he has an exemption to the next episode? It just doesn't fit." She sighed.

"I wish I had an exemption…to survive this first quiz. But all I have is a clueless mind on who this mysterious Mole is!"

"Oh my gosh, the first quiz," Mimi said, squealing with fear. "I hope I don't get eliminated guys! If I do, then this is my early 'bye'. Bye!" She let out a frightened laugh.

"I wonder who the Mole is," Tiny said, looking at the others, "because if it's one of you, I'm going to die laughing!" The three females, amidst their fear for the ceremony that night, could only laugh.

"As much as we beg McHallyboo, he will not change the rules of this game," Flurrie said with a smile, "because one of us must fall." Flurrie looked up, and saw that even though it was still in the daytime hours, she saw something in the sky that made her mind remember what McHallyboo had said earlier just hours before: it was the moon, mysteriously visible in the light-blue sky to all of them.

The first quiz, of this unfolding, third season would be taken by all of them…very soon.

* * *

"Players of young and old age! …Mostly young, which means you might not appreciate this delicate beauty as much as you should," Zess announced with a grin, as she unveiled a dish she had been working and creating for the past two hours of time. In the center of the dinner table, the dish was situated.

"I present to you…dish de le Mole!" The players made sounds of awestruck delight and surprise, and they could only look at the created meal in front of them with elated happiness, impressed feelings, and laughter: it was a dessert cake, decorated with frosting, an outside crispy later, a plethora of scattered fruit, but the peculiar thing was, the entire food was created in such a shape that it was with no doubt the image of an animal: a Mole itself.

"My, my, a satisfying surprise!" Flurrie said, looking at the dish with delight. "No wonder you were busy earlier, when I had tried to contact you."

"You made this?" Mimi exclaimed with disbelief.

"Don't doubt an old chef's cooking!" Zess accused. "I can cook up some things better than most of you can create with a hand tied behind my back!"

"For some reason, I do not doubt that," Piantissimo stated from the front of the table, as they all, appropriately like a Mole, began to dig into the created dessert.

"It is…exquisite," Éclair said in a voice of enchantment. "I am very awed by the texture of the outer dough. Please, let us share recipes once this complete game is over."

"Being complimented by the pastry queen herself, huh!" Zess said, beaming and nodding to the princess. "We'll have ourselves a little cooking battle after this entire game ends, that's for sure!"

"This is just…good stuff!" Bowser Jr said from the other front of the table. "Nothing better than a dessert before a-" He stopped, mid-sentence, as everyone looked at him. Bowser Jr. started to cough, inexplicably, as if something within the food was stuck amidst his throat.

"Bowser Jr…umm…are you okay?" Tiny Kong asked with concern, sitting next to the coughing player. All players were on the edge of their feet with alarm and fear.

"Oh my gosh, it's the poisonous gas from Mission 2!" Dry Bones exclaimed with horror from the other side of the table, getting up from his seat. "Someone save him!"

"I'm…KRRGHH…okay….glah!" Suddenly, he spat something out from his mouth, and the players were too relieved to know that the young player had stopped choking to pay attention to the unpleasant image of Bowser Jr. regurgitating an unknown, unidentifiable object.

"Oh my goodness gracious," Flurrie said, putting a hand to her chest. "I believed you were going to pass out and become executed by unfortunate default." The players, who were struck with alarm from the situation, began to relax again.

"Oh my gosh!" Mimi squealed. "Is that…paper?" But she was not looking at what Bowser Jr. had unfortunately spit out. She was looking into her own plate of dessert

"Paper?! What is this nonsense!" Zess exclaimed, as she stood up to look at the dessert in the middle of the table. Everyone else looked as well, and before they could do anything, Zess grabbed the large knife in the center of the table and raised it into the air.

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," she said with determination. "Someone's been messing with my food!" She brought the knife down in a single slice, much to the horror of the other players. As the chef made her cut, and then gave another cut, the mole, as sweet as it was, was clearly and cleanly sliced in half.

"What…." was all a shocked Dry Bones could utter. Everyone looked completely stunned at the old lady's swift, aggressive outburst.

Dry Bones: _She's such an old lady, and like nice, and then you see her go all kamikaze on a sugary Mole. Thank goodness that wasn't me!_

"Well, if someone's messing with one of my recipe meal creations, necessary actions are taken…even if it means splitting my dessert in half," Zess said, and she let out a hearty laugh.

"No…it can't be." The players' eyes were unmistaken: a small edge of a piece of paper, as tiny as it was, stuck out from the custard-filled inside of the enormous cake pastry Zess had created.

"...Are you…kidding me!" Bowser Jr. said, spitting out the rest of his cake devouring onto his plate. "There was paper in the cake?! This is worse than Season 2's note!"

"Yeah, that season had the note hidden under the tablecloth I believe…not stuck into the middle of the food the players were going to consume," Piantissimo remembered. He looked suspiciously at Zess.

"Don't look at me!" the old lady snapped, offended. "I'm the one who cooked the caked. I would never taint my creation with a note of paper. I take my food with respect."

Bowser Jr: _She was denying putting a piece of paper…in her own created dish? But you know, I should respect my elders, and not accuse them. But thinking about it…she was the only one to suspect._

"Regardless of who put the note in here or not," Piantissimo said, reaching forwards the pulling out the piece of paper, which was destroyed, soggy, and partially consumed, "I will read it."

"Who's it from?" Dashell asked, his voice from the side of the table.

"The Mole." All players looked at the paper in silence, as Piantissimo read.

_**To the nine players in this game,**_

_**It's pretty cool to make your company. Disguising as the tenth person in this room.**_

_**You think this game is easy? Don't worry. Don't fret one bit. Relax with that thought.**_

_**Just know that whenever you take a step, you are in my world. My creation.**_

_**Have fun. You can't catch me.**_

_**The Mole.**_

"Okay…who wrote that?" Bowser Jr. spoke. Everyone laughed, but a little uneasily as a group. They were still suspicious of both the note's origins and its content.

"And why is the Mole telling us clues?" Mimi noticed, looking at it as well. "That is silly!" Everyone continued to eat their food, the existence of the note on their minds.

"Journal material," was all Piantissimo could say, putting the note down on his table space.

"Players, I believe you all know what will be happening tonight," McHallyboo told them. He was mysteriously silent for most the meal, and when he spoke, some of the players even jumped with surprise to hear the host's voice from the end of the table.

"Very soon, you will all face your first quiz of the game," the host said to them all. "It is tradition at the end of every episode for a player to leave. On a computer, you will be asked ten questions. Ten very important questions about the Mole."

"The last one being the most important of all," Bowser Jr. said, nodding and remembering the past versions of their very game with clarity.

"The lowest scorer on this quiz will be eliminated. They will leave this building." The players shuddered oddly, hearing the the sound of the strange word 'building'. It was an offbeat shudder that was indescribable. Their game had just begun, and they were already immersed into another world, or another dimension. There was, in some of their minds, not even a building to leave.

"Not gonna lie, I'm gonna be sad to leave this game," Tiny Kong said, twirling her fork on her plate, "but if it's me, it's me. I'm ready to go guys."

"Yeah, call me crazy, but if I lose then I'm going to congratulate the Mole for being so good at hiding themselves," Dry Bones said, almost laughing. "So bring it on! I won't be scared."

"It is respectful to be accepting your dismissal," Éclair said, understanding herself and nodding. ""It is of fate." The players, or at least most of them, agreed with her statement. Piantissimo just grunted, with half-agreement.

"Be it fate or not, I'm ready to destroy this quiz," Bowser Jr. said with a grin, looking at everyone else. "Is everyone ready?"

"My my, to the exit of one of us," Flurrie said, holding her glass in the air, as all ten players joined with content unison. Even the Mole wanted to give their farewells to the first executed player of the game.

A few minutes later, one by one, their games were put to the test. They all went to take the quizzes, one by one.

* * *

It was ten statements that put all of their minds to the test. Ten important questions would determine which players would be staying, and which one of them would be leaving the game as the very first victim of the game. The answers depended on themselves only, and every fate could only lie in each of their hands.

Tiny Kong seated herself down onto the chair, in a room that separated herself from all the rest of the others at that exact moment. She sat down, a little anxious but ready for the first quiz of the game. She looked at the laptop in front of her:

_**1. The Mole is:**_

_**-Male**_

_**-Female**_

Tiny Kong: _The first quiz…it was definitely a toughie. I didn't even know what gender the Mole could be. Both genders have been used already in the past seasons, so this time around, it was a crapshoot on whether it was a male or female again._

Flurrie read the game's second question, reading it a second time to herself before choosing an answer. She controlled her mouse, a little hesitant at first but then selecting a choice.

_**2. When did the Mole enter the lobby of the building?**_

_**-First**_

_**-Second**_

_**-Third**_

_**-Fourth**_

_**-Fifth**_

_**-Sixth**_

_**-Seventh**_

_**-Eighth**_

_**-Ninth**_

_**-Tenth**_

Flurrie: _It is simply and unfortunately all about the quiz, in order to move on. You could be thinking something else in the game, but whatever you put down on the quiz would determine a good move or not._

Bowser Jr. was already comfortable with the format of the electronic quiz as he answered Question 3, sitting in his chair as he read it.

_**3. Did the Mole get their jump wrong during Leap or Truth?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Bowser Jr: _The whole situation with Mimi and Dry Bones in the first mission: You can't help but notice that they are both good candidates. Mimi plays everything off with being a young girl and doesn't take blame, and Dry Bones in general…he's just suspicious._

_**4. Which tent did the Mole find sanctuary in for the first night of the game?**_

_**-Tent 1**_

_**-Tent 2**_

_**-Tent 3**_

_**-Tent 4**_

Éclair looked at the laptop screen in front of her, unfamiliarized with the technological aspects of the game, but she moved her mouse.

Éclair: _It is very sinister, if someone is trying to gain your trust but he is the Mole. __I feel the Mole is trained to be very genuine and friendly._ I do not want to think that about Dashell...but I cannot rid possibilities.

_**5. Which carriage did the Mole ride in on the way to Yold Town?**_

_**-Carriage 1**_

_**-Carriage 2**_

Piantissimo faced his laptop, shrugging. Most of the answers didn't seem rather difficult or easy to him, but a mixture of both.

Piantissimo: _Am I foolish to think that Flurrie might be the Mole? She is an actress, of course, but perhaps that is too obvious of a choice. Her decisions as an archeologist were faulty, so therefore, she is suspicious._

_**6. What role did the Mole have during Purchase of a Desert?**_

_**-Treasure Hunter**_

_**-Treasure Spender**_

_**-Archeologist**_

Zess clicked on her quiz, squinting her eyes to read the questions. Never the less, she was sure of her answers.

Zess: _Now, everyone seems to forget that Bowser Jr. can be a suspect. He's smart. For all we know, he knew there was a gas in the shop, and stayed there on purpose. Risky but smart. Second on my list, Tiny Kong. She's a friendly gal, but you never know. She could be hiding a little secret._

_**7. Did the Mole have a chance to earn an exemption in Mission 2?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Dashell stared hard at his computer.

Dashell: _It's hard to make friends in this game. Some say they trust you, but they secretly don't in the back of their minds. If I choose to appear more sincere to people in the upcoming episodes...I don't know if it's going to help me, or actually hurt me._

_**8. How many macarons did the Mole eat during the first lunch of the game?**_

_**-None**_

_**-One**_

_**-Two**_

_**-Three or more**_

Dry Bones shook his head. He didn't know what to answer, but instinctively, he took a guess and a click.

Dry Bones: _Anyone can be the Mole! It's frightening. But if I had to pick a suspect, then maybe Piantissimo. He's too cocky, which is a great alibi. He didn't do good in the game either. He's an interesting choice, so he's my random pick on this first quiz._

_**9. Did the Mole leave the Inn building, between Mission 2's end and dinner?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Mimi answered Question 9, looking at the choices with thought.

Mimi: _I really don't know. But Snifit has been getting closer to the top of the list…he's supposed to be really quiet, but something doesn't add up with him. From being too quiet to finding his exemption…hmm, we will see._

As Snifit moved his hand to answer the final question of their quiz, a feeling of apprehension still swept over him, despite the fact that there was exemption in his possession. It was a question, one which was the most important question of all. A question of intelligence, thought, and deception.

_**10. Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Bowser Jr.**_

_**-Dashell**_

_**-Dry Bones**_

_**-Éclair**_

_**-Flurrie**_

_**-Mimi**_

_**-Piantissimo**_

_**-Snifit**_

_**-Tiny Kong**_

_**-Zess**_

* * *

There was a beautiful and majestic fountain that sat in the center of the desert town. Its image contrasted that of the desert grounds that surrounded it, and as the water flowed from the fountain, the players realized it was more than just the opposite image of a barren desert. The fountain was the very opposite image of the suspense and trepidation that filled the air, as the first execution ceremony of the game was about to take place.

The players sat in their seats: ten chairs, which were placed right in front of the hopeful fountain. They waited in fear, as something was about to take place for the very first time in their cunning game: the removal of a player.

"I cannot believe one of us is going home." The new cast of players could only wait in anticipation, holding unprepared feelings as their host made his way to the front of the fountain. Beside him, a large television screen was stationary. Little splashes of water from the fountain could be seen hitting the host's top hat, but it did not stop him from delivering his words for the occasion.

"Welcome, players, to your very first execution," McHallyboo announced to the ten players before him, as all eyes immediately focused on him. "You have all just taken the first ten-question quiz of this game about the Mole, and very soon, one of you will be going home." The players nodded, each of them holding their own level of nervousness and fear.

"If I enter your name into the screen, and it turns green, then you are safe and move on to Episode 2," McHallyboo told them. "If the screen turns red, however…" McHallyboo paused for the smallest of moments.

"You are the very first victim of this game," the host said, "and you must then leave this game immediately." He turned to the last player in the row of many chairs which were situated in front of him: it was Snifit.

"Snifit, you are safe for this first elimination," McHallyboo confirmed, as Snifit gave a nod to the host. "You will not be executed, and will move onto the next episode automatically." McHallyboo looked at the other players.

"For the other nine of you, one of you will be going home," he told them. The ten players all stared back at him, ready.

"Let us now begin...the execution." McHallyboo took a seat in his own chair, and held the keyboard on his lap. The first victim's name, whoever's it was, would be entered in. The players faced him, their nervousness in the air.

"Tiny Kong," McHallyboo began. The player turned to McHallyboo, her eyes widening at the calling of her name. It was the first name to be entered, and hopefully to Tiny Kong, not the last.

"Good luck," McHallyboo told her. As the host entered her name in, Tiny stared at the screen, nervousness filling her body with each additional letter that was entered. The host pressed 'Enter'.

**T-I-N-Y- K-O-N-G**

…

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Tiny Kong looked away from the screen, relieved. She had been cleared.

"We will go with…Piantissimo next," McHallyboo said, as his eyes went back to the key board. Piantissimo, however, stood rigid. The first time his name was entered, he had a swallowing look of anxiety come over him.

**P-I-A-N-T-I-S-S-I-M-O**

…

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

"I'm safe," he whispered to himself, sitting back in his chair. He folded his arms, but his face still showed the aftermath of nervousness.

"Éclair," came the voice of McHallyboo. The princess had fear at the hearing of her name, but never the less, held her head up high with composure. The host pressed 'Enter'.

**E-C-L-A-I-R**

…

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

The princess closed her eyes with gratitude.

"Good job," Dashell said, face staring at the green screen as well.

"Bowser Jr," the host called next, and the youngest player of the game immediately sat upright. He was tense, still unsure of how he did on the quiz, but he had a look of certainty and confidence

"I'm ready for it...green or red," he said, his voice, though nervous, ready. The host entered his name, slowly, then pressed 'Enter'.

…

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Bowser Jr. sighed, laughing a little.

"Dry Bones…you will be next" said the host. The player suddenly looked up, as his name was entered into the screen before the players. As the host pressed enter, his eyes held a look of fear.

"Oh no," he said, barely looking at the screen. "I'm gone. I'm so gone." Before anyone could react, the screen changed color.

**D-R-Y B-O-N-E-S**

…

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

Dry Bones let out the largest sigh of relief, one equivalent to as if a boulder was lifted from his chest.

"Flurrie," McHallyboo continued. Flurrie nodded at her name being called.

"You will be entered." As the host began to enter her name in letter by letter, Flurrie watched. She opened her mouth as McHallyboo pressed the 'Enter' button.

**F-L-U-R-R-I-E**

…

…

…

…

…

…

_**RED**_

There was a collective gasp from some of the players. Flurrie looked at the red screen: she was the victim.

"Oh, my, gosh," Mimi cried softly, her hands covering her eyes. The ceremony was over. The red screen had taken its first victim.

"I am sorry, Flurrie," the host said, as the host rose from his seat. "You are the first victim of the Mole, and must leave this game. Please follow me." Flurrie closed her eyes momentarily, then opened them again.

"It appears it is me," she said, warmly but sadly smiling at everyone around her. "Good luck, players. You all have made my game here wonderful." Standing up, Flurrie followed the leaving path of McHallyboo. The two of them, within seconds of walking into the distance of the town's ground, were gone.

The players were still in their chairs, and the fountain, once again, contrasted something else: the sound of silence and loss.

* * *

"Flurrie," McHallyboo told the wind spirit, as the two individuals made their way to the entrance section of the town. "It saddens me very much to see you to leave this game. You definitely brought life to many, many parts of it." The adventure for the player besides him had come to an end.

"This game…I cannot describe it" Flurrie said to the host, and although she was sad to be leaving, the player had a bittersweet smile on her face that remained for the remainder of the walk. "This area is quite magical. It was an experience I have never had before. What a gift to experience, yes! And I shall not forget it."

* * *

"I…did not expect her to go," Tiny Kong said, her voice and face both downhearted. "I did not expect Flurrie to be the first eliminated. At all."

"She was the most outgoing...a really great and cool player," Dashell spoke up. "Ever since the beginning of the game. I realized she was trying to get everyone together and compatible in the lobby. She made me realize this game could be likable."

_Flashback __**Flurrie:**_ _"Well, even if we trust each other or not, we should still greet each other, because it's the mannerly thing to do. And we all have. My, we have all become so much more compatible with each other!"_ (the player look at each other in the lobby, hesitantly at first)

"I remember her in the beginning of the game too!" Bowser Jr. laughed. "She was all like, 'Let's be friends!' and I…I don't know about you guys…was like, 'Never in a million years!'" The players laughed bittersweetly, the light-hearted memory of their friend making some of them smile and some of them even shed a tear for their departed friend.

"And now…we actually are sort of friends," Bowser Jr. said, sniffing.

* * *

"I will never forget these magnificent people," Flurrie said to the host. "Every one of them is so unique, and so fun to be acquainted with and to discuss with. I will miss them the most of this game."

"What won't you miss about leaving this game?" McHallyboo asked the player curiously. Flurrie thought for a small moment.

"The whole craziness of having to take in ten things at once," Flurrie said, amused. "And my, my. My head really was going with a spin with the whole concept of the Mole. I didn't think I could last another episode." With a laugh, she turned to McHallyboo.

"But, it was all still the most pleasant and wonderful of rides," she said to McHallyboo in the most content of voices.

* * *

"I think she put a lot of wisdom into this crowd," Zess said, reminiscing with a grin. "She was the savior during our second mission. She was wonderful enough to spare us that misery. Good for her!"

_Flashback __**Flurrie: **_(speaking during Mission 2) _"I have been in my past years a self-centered person…So I will not_ _press this silly button, just to help myself and hurt other, nice people. Even if one of them is the devious Mole." _(Piantissimo and Dry Bones face her, flabbergasted)

"I can't imagine what it'd be like to be shocked every time we touched an object," Zess said, shaking her head.

"Yeah…about that small incident," Dry Bones said, as everyone laughed.

"There was a large existence of compassion and kindness in her," Éclair said, looking at the others. "I could see it in her soul. When I saw her, there was a warm light emitted from her presence."

"Oh my gosh, me too," Mimi said, who had been burying her head from crying. "I felt like…these waves of kindness come out from her. When I was with her, I was like, super nicer than usual!" She buried her head again.

"Nine players," Piantissimo said, looking into the distance where Flurrie had walked into. "There's no longer ten, is there?"

"This game has become harder." The players sat in more silence. The fountain seemed to die in power, as its splashes became less.

* * *

As Flurrie approached the edge of the town, she gasped, almost frightened by what lay ahead of her.

"A….black hole?" The desert that existed past the pavement of Yold Town was no longer there. Instead, the sight of swirling debris, unrecognizable pixels, and a vast distance of unknown grey and black shades existed ahead of the player. It was almost as if a hurricane in space existed before Flurrie, and she felt slight terror, but awe.

"McHallyboo, you are not to say I will be jumping into this…abyss," Flurrie said, at first shocked, but then she lightly smiled. "But perhaps it will be my jump in this game…because I did not jump earlier like the others had in the first mission." McHallyboo smiled as well.

"Do not worry, Flurrie," McHallyboo said with a reassuring voice. "Once you jump through this vortex, you will be right outside the building that you had first entered this game from…out of this world. Out of this creation of the Mole." He grinned.

"Your luggage is waiting on the other side, too."

"Well, a relief to know. I cannot go back home without my beautiful belongings," Flurrie said, and looked at the host.

"Thank you, McHallyboo, for this delightful experience," she said. The host tipped his hat to her. Closing her eyes, she let her body fall off the edge of Yold Desert, off the created cliff that was larger than any cliff created before in the game. Her body became one of the fragments in the air, which was disappearing from the created world within the building. Twirling around the enormous black hole of unknown content, the player could shout as her body was flung right and left. But before she could become terrified, in her eyes, a white flash was produced.

"Huh…I am...I'm afraid I do not know." Flurrie rubbed her eyes, as if she had woken from a great slumber. The world was different, to her puzzlement. The ground was no longer a grass land, or a desert. It was a curious feeling. She looked around her, and saw her bag besides her on the pavement.

"Am I…?" As the real moon shone above her, she realized: she was outside of the building.

* * *

**And that is the end of Episode 1! I was very glad to present it!**

**Flurrie, the madame of Boggly Woods, has been declared the first victim of the Mole! And after her, many more to come! I hope you enjoyed this first episode, but may I say, this is only the beginning of the Mole.**

* * *

**sixthsense6:** Thank you! And I'm sorry that your executed predictions were not correct! But hopefully, and the good thing is, I do hope Flurrie's execution served, if at least a slight, surprise to you! xD.

**fredthemontymole: **Ah, memories of the Mole from the American second season. You know, people thought Bobbery of my last Mole season was the Mole, due to his similarities. I'm happy that got covered up in his exaction : ) heh. Good deductions!

**Coooool123:** About your story, I would love editing! But I must decline the offer for two reasons: I have edited stories in the past and have not done an amazing job on them. I tend to change little tidbits too much, which is not what an editor should do x'P so im truly sorry. However, I am aware that FF has a "Beta Reader" option. Not sure how it works, but perhaps you can look into it!

**Blucad: **A great analyses! And thank you for noticing the characterizations : ) it makes be joyful to hear that. About what you said with Flurrie (now that she's executed, it does not matter heh) I really wanted to put in that "monologue"! It showed the light and noble part of her personality, and I wanted to include that side of her before she departed. And along with you mentioning Bowser Jr's and Mimi's silliness, I looked back and just realized what humorous players they really are in the game! x) Mole or not.

**PSULucky: **I really, really liked your second "character run-through"! : ) It even made me even realize MYSELF the characteristics of how each character really is, haha. The characters you stated that you liked (Dashell, Éclair, Piantissimo), I feel like if they were in real life…I'd like them a lot too xD. And in addition, I notice how some of the characters have actually changed quite a small bit since Chapter 1. Very intriguing, even to me! Hopefully as the players lessen and there are less choices, the Mole will shine to you!

**FireKai: **Haha! I am imagining the flammability of the gas and what the lighter would have done to the poor players, if it was. My Final Destination stories, there are such good memories evoked from that one sentence! I actually went back today out of boredom and time to read "Death Riding", and yes, how time has passed! As for the 'Final Destination' clues, hehe, yes! I feel like some readers had already been spoiled on the next victim, so this season, I shall omit : ) and really good suspect/action guessings!

**Ice Empoleon:** It is a pleasure to see you, Ice Empoleon! And I actually have absolute fear and trepidation when I read you reviews: your deductions and scrutiny in guessing the Mole/certain qualities are just…so…top notch! I know you got the last Mole, so I do not doubt it at all, heh. You were right indeed, for the first executed player was a female! But I do apologize that it was one of your suspects! Still, I look forward to your future reviews of intelligent examinations : )

And about Zess' less-than-tempered character, I will say this to all the readers: this game is taking place many years after the events of Paper Mario, other Mario games, and just many of the game in general. That is why, their characteristics, even in my series, tend to be a bit different (or same!) than how you are used to seeing them : )

**Moley Koopa:** A good formed suspects list, yes! And your last sentence made me absolutely happy: I'm glad you're enjoying it! : ) And think that things are getting more fun and fun. I plan to do that with each episode down the list, increasingly and increasingly. Arigatou for your review, Moley Koopa!

* * *

Anyways, that is that!** Below are the results of the taken poll! I will list the voted players, from most votes to least votes. The question was: ****The Mole Agent's Elevation : Who is the Mole?**

_**Dry Bones:** 5 VOTES_

_**Tiny Kong:** 4 VOTES_

_**Mimi: **4 VOTES_

_**Zess: **3 VOTES_

_**Piantissimo: **3 VOTES_

_**Flurrie:**** 2 VOTES **(EXECUTED)_

_**Bowser Jr: **2 VOTES_

_**Dashell: **2 VOTES_

_**Éclair: **1 VOTE_

_**Snifit:** 0 VOTES_

The results of the poll! First place, in audience suspects, is Dry Bones! Tiny Kong and Mimi tie for second place as the Mole. And third place was a battle between Zess and Piantissimo. Lowest suspected players are Éclair and Snifit, the latter player obtaining no votes at all. How will these audience polls hold in the future? These are very interesting results, guys! Thank you to everyone who voted!

Oh, and watch out for a letter from the Mole, on my profile! Probably by tomorrow morning.

Thank you guys! And stay tuned for Episode 2! Things...are only the beginning.


	6. Mole in Paradise

**Greetings, readers! I present, Episode 2! : ) **

**MAJOR, MAJOR SPOILERS! T_T... I am the worst author ever. I apologize to everyone who has not read Season 2. But if it is okay with you, please read ahead below : ) if not, then do not be too intimidated with finishing Saboteur's Island first. In honesty, reading over Season 2, the chapters are SO MUCH shorter in comparison to this season's. You will not fall behind if you decide to read it first! But yes, the choice is up to you : )**

**Enjoy! I believe many of you will enjoy this next location of the game, very much.****  
**

* * *

**_EPISODE 2_**

_The game has begun. This group of players had been immersed into another world. Another world of illusions, adventure, but over everything else, mistrust. Not only is what they see in this world false, but one of the players among their group is a false image as well. One of them is a traitor, a deceiver, an agent. One of them is…the Mole._

"Mole…how was your first episode?" McHallyboo asked, entering the room in the inn that was dark. "Was it great? Terrifying? Or...harder than you had expected?" Sitting in a chair, the Mole stood up.

"Yes, well, it was better than I thought," the individual replied. "I believe I was able to deflection suspicion…but I repeat the phrase, 'I believe'. I am actually not sure." The Mole paused in their speaking, but then went on.

"Do you think the others are after me?" the Mole said with thought. "Perhaps I am not doing a good enough job, so I will do more." McHallyboo waved his hand away with disagreement, at the disguised player.

"Do not worry about any of that," McHallyboo said, almost amused. "The job you are doing is quite great. Awesome, actually."

"Thank you, host," the person replied.

"Please," McHallyboo said, letting out a laugh. "Once you get more integrated into this game, you'll be sabotaging like crazy." He faced the saboteur before him.

"Just keep it up," the host said, and he closed the door behind him.

* * *

_**WHO IS...THE MOLE?**_

_**PLAYER: Bowser Jr.**_

_Surname__:_ Koopa

_Birthday:_ October 4

_Occupation__:_ Student

_**PLAYER: Dashell**_

_Surname__:_ Knot

_Birthday:_ September 23

_Occupation:_ Sports Agent

**_PLAYER: Dry Bones_**

_Surname:_ Secar

_Birthday:_ July 5

_Occupation:_ Horticulturist

**_PLAYER: Eclair_**

_Surname:_ Choux

_Birthday:_ June 30

_Occupation:_ Patron/Pastry Maker

**_PLAYER: Il_**

_Surname:_ Piantissimo

_Birthday:_ January 2

_Occupation:_ Competitive Athlete

**_PLAYER: Mimi_**

_Surname:_ Shipeshafter

_Birthday:_ April 10

_Occupation:_ Maid

**_PLAYER: Snifit_**

_Surname:_ Incognoto

_Birthday:_ December 2

_Occupation:_ Police Officer

**_PLAYER: Tiny_**

_Surname:_ Kong

_Birthday:_ October 20

_Occupation:_ Retail Manager

**_PLAYER: Zess_**

_Surname:_ Toad

_Birthday:_ February 26

_Occupation:_ Chef

* * *

The sun had risen. The previous day was rough for the players, and when morning arrived, all each of them could remember was the significant ceremony from the day before. Zess rose from her bed: she had a roommate one day, and the next day unpredictably, none at all.

"Flurrie…you have left us." Zess couldn't help but say it with a down-hearted voice, looking at the bed besides her. It was empty.

Zess: _They aren't just players, you know. They're people, like us! Flurrie had to leave...and now, another person will be leaving at the end of this episode too. Sometimes, it's like a cruel lesson of life itself…but we just gotta keep living._

In Room 260, Tiny was looking outside the window, at the fountain outside of the inn. Mimi, noticing her position, walked up to the window as well.

"Hey Tiny...what are you looking at?" she asked her, as Tiny kept on looking at the fountain.

"Oh, nothing," Tiny said, laughing. "It's just…no matter how beautiful that fountain looks, it'll always have this…image of a shadow. As if its just ominous." Her voice seemed dejected though.

"Oh, don't feel too down, Tiny," Mimi said, playfully pulling on her shirt. "It's nothing to be sad about! We all miss Flurrie. I was really sad too, but we have to keep on playing this game for her!" Mimi paused, remembering.

"Flurrie had this niceness in her we have to keep alive. And you do, as well!" she finished.

"I guess you're right," Tiny said, sighing. She managed a smile.

In Room 250, Bowser Jr. was staring outside the fountain too, but for a different reason. Its appearance was different, different than that of the clear view he got of it the night before, when he was seated right beside the structure of water.

"There was so much color in it before…yesterday," Bowser Jr. said with a confused voice, his eyebrows furrowing. "Now it's dull looking. Strange." The edges of the fountain, opposed to a rich blue marble, were a grey, dull fade. The offspring of Bowser, turning away to get ready for the day, could only wonder.

* * *

"I wonder where we're going," Bowser Jr. said, exiting his room. He had just woken up moments before, but was told to go downstairs as soon as possible. He saw Dashell, already awake in the hallway.

"McHallyboo said something like...the world is changing," Dashell said, confused. "Whatever that means." He shrugged, still clueless in thought.

"The world is changing...hurry, players!" they heard the host call from downstairs.

When the players all reached the inn's lobby after travelling down the set of stairs, they stopped in their tracks. McHallyboo was standing in the middle of the carpet ground, a smile on his face, but it was what existed behind McHallyboo that was so perplexing. What existed behind McHallyboo was a sight so astonishing to them that some of the players rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

"Huh…?" The entire wall of the building, which just hours before was the inn's exit, was instead now a large and immense wall of dull metal. It was as if the gigantic metal slate was constructed mysteriously to block their only way of exit. Upon closer look, the player could see a slit in its center, and some of them recognized it to be the sliding doors of something they had seen many times before, but never of such large size: an elevator. The players, with no doubt, were dumbfounded.

"When did this get placed in here?" Piantissimo wondered, going up to the elevator doors before any of the other could. "It's like it was magically placed here." Touching its front, the player himself felt that it was cold metal.

Piantissimo: _Surprises...they were everywhere in this game. Something told me this game was going to be unpredictable...right to the very last episode of it...if I make it that far._

"This is the elevator that exists…within this real building," McHallyboo told the players, and they listened to his words in wonder. "It's not a fictionally-created elevator. It is this building's only way of transportation. After every episode, you will take this elevator." He opened his arms to the rest of the world they were currently in, one which would soon disappear into once again, blackness.

"Please, prepare yourselves as this world…vanishes."

All of a sudden, with an immense whirring sound that lasted no more than ten seconds, they were all in darkness once again.

"Darkness," Zess realized, but this time she laughed. "How many times do I have to experience this?" She laughed, remembering last mission's events.

"So there's no more Yold Desert and Yold Town?" Tiny Kong asked the host. The host shook his head, confirming his statement.

"Let's continue on," McHallyboo said, and the players heard a loud _DING!_ ring through the air. The immense doors of the elevator door opened, revealing the most faded of elevators they had ever seen. It had not been refurbished for many years, but it was the only thing that would bring the players to their next level of the game.

"We will now take the elevator to the second floor, McHallyboo said, entering the elevator first, and he grinned. "Onwards…to Episode 2!"

* * *

The elevator ride up was slow. Even though the elevator was large in size, the players were all still cramped in their space.

"This is a...very strange way to travel," Eclair commented.

"We will be there soon," the host told them, breaking the silence of their lift. Dashell looked at the lights above the doors in front of him, seeing seven circular orbs, the first one currently lit.

"Seven floors?" he counted. The last figure, instead of a circle, was a big "?".

"I'm just wondering, what the question mark stands for in this game," Dashell said, hoping his question would be answered physically by the host. McHallyboo looked at him, blinking.

"You should know, out of all people," said the host, looking confused. "That's the end of the game. The ceiling...is the end. The final floor. That is where the Mole would..." All of a sudden, the _DING!_ from before was heard once again, and the second circle above the door was suddenly lit.

After a second, the players realized they had reached the 2nd floor of the building. The doors opened, and once again, the players could only see darkness ahead of them. There was a strange wind chill, making the players know that they were still located in a desolated, large floor of blackness.

"Are you ready to travel to your next location, players?" said McHallyboo, and even though they couldn't see him, they knew that he held a knowing smile of excitement.

"Oh no…I'm not ready for this again," Dry Bones said nervously, remembering last episode's erratic and powerful transformation that brought them to a different world. Never the less, the players all nodded.

"I'm kind of scared too," Mimi said, grabbing onto Zess. McHallyboo turned around, holding onto his hat.

"Let the world…change!"

The immense shaking of the enormous room began, resulting from the activation of technology, lights, and unfathomable devices, all that would bring them into another world of existence. Lights began to flash on all their sides, and lastly the very floor below their feet as each player, once again, could not help but have the terror rooted from not knowing what would happen next. The players felt air, then strong heat, then above them, the ceiling began to flash once again, turning into a brilliant color of light blue along with shots of yellow. Around them, they noticed the ground changing into the stunning color of blue as well, but in darker form.

"Grab on tight," McHallyboo said, as all of a sudden, unknown structures in the distance seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

"My foot touched something...wet!" Mimi shrieked with panic, leaping into another direction from where her foot had landed. She fell into an unknown substance that began to form before her eyes, as brown-yellow material began to almost engulf the players. Zess looked around, looking panicked.

"Everyone: the ground is moving!" Zess sounded. The ground was wavy, moving and the color of abnormal blue. Surrounding them completely, none of them could determine what it was that completely fenced them. All of a sudden, a large, single structure rose from behind Tiny Kong, making her shout and fall down to the ground. She felt the ground before her and froze, immediately knowing its feeling.

"It's…sand?" Tiny said with wonder, within the moving and shaking world. They players saw the structure that had risen behind the player: it was a palm tree. All of a sudden, the flashing and shaking stopped. The players could collect themselves, to their relief. But the air was strangely…refreshing.

"It's...kinda calm," said Dashell, who was done ducking his head. "Kind of...cool." As the players looked, they saw that within seconds, the moving blue ground had transformed into a recognizable body of water. It was an ocean surrounding them.

"Huh, some of us were so frightened," said Piantissimo, looking around himself as well. "And now we're relaxed again!" He elbowed Bowser Jr, but the other player's face was fixed on something in the distance, eyes big and in a stare of disbelief.

"Is that…no way," Bowser Jr. said, his face full of shock and mystification, looking at the large presence of a town that existed in the distance from them. "That can't be!" He pointed, his eyes and body excited. Looking into the distance, the players could spot a town, centered away from their current location. They were on an island, and as they looked further at what was ahead of them, most of them couldn't believe their eyes.

"Yes, it is indeed where you think we are," McHallyboo said, walking up to the crowd of players. He rested his hand on a warp pipe, which was oddly on the island as well. In another alternate reality, money had been cashed down that pipe, by a player of studious, archeological background.

"An island...a town...it seems familiar." Eclair gasped, realizing the area they had just arrived in.

"Could it possibly be?" Eclair said, touching the pipe besides her with awe and wonder. "It is unimaginable-"

"Yes, we are," McHallyboo announced to them, twirling a stick in his hand around. "Welcome to...Isle Delfino!" The players, even though they knew themselves where they were, were very much still frozen in surprised. "Or, as the Mole likes to call it...the island of the dolphins. I hope you enjoy your stay in this tropical paradise." The sound of ocean waves splashed around them.

Piantissimo: _…I was darned. So darned. Nobody saw this coming. Apparently, we had arrived at the location that the players had gone to in Season 2. It was definitely surprising, to say the least._

Bowser Jr: _Isle Delfino! This was amazing! McHallyboo couldn't have chosen a better place_. _I couldn't wait to study it and show off. I definitely had an advantage over the other players, when it came to knowing this place, and this season...heh well, at least I thought._

"I should have seen this coming, however...visiting a place in the past," Dashell said, eyes stunned and looking around him. "And it's fits right in...Episode 2, Season 2..." He laughed, realizing.

"Not only are you back here, but you are also back in this location…time-wise," McHallyboo said mysteriously. "You see…you are at the exact parallel of Season 2's timeline, the way this world has been constructed."

"What are you saying…" Dry Bones said slowly. "Are you saying…that they're still…"

"What I'm saying," the host explained, "is that right now, the other players are here, playing their game, of The Mole: Saboteur's Island. The players are in the town right now…playing the game they were playing back in THEIR Episode 2."

Dry Bones: _This…was strange. I couldn't take it in._

"So wait," Tiny asked, listening the host's sentence carefully. "The players, from the second season...they're in Delfino Plaza right now?"

"Not their actual selves," McHallyboo said, his voice reassuring to them. "In reality, they are just creations. It's not really them." As the players tried to take in the twist of reality McHallyboo tried to explained, he only laughed, then faced them.

"…but yes, it is as if you guys were transported back into the past. Think of it like a time machine," McHallyboo said, with a nod.

"I am so lost," said Tiny Kong, shaking her head. "This is just crazy."

"I'll say!" Zess said. "I thought last world's transformation was crazy. Now you're bringing players back from the dead!

Zess: _I started to believe in this world the phrase, 'Nothing is normal! Leave your own world behind!'_

"Your next game will involve these players," he explained to them. "The next game is called, '**Saboteur Island Sabotage**'. It will be worth 30,000 coins, so listen carefully." He pointed out to the bustling town of tropical beings, across the water from them.

"Right now at this moment, the players are participating in this game called, 'Island Bash'. They are currently trying to prepare for a party and gather as many people for the party as they can. They're doing very well. But it'll be up to you guys...as the players of The Mole: Agent's Elevation...to sabotage them."

"Sabotage..." Mimi said with excited interest, looking at McHallyboo. "So we're going to be playing the fun role of the Mole this game?"

"There will be three areas in this game," said McHallyboo. "For now…I need three loud-mouthed players. Please choose these three out of your current group." The players all immediately looked at each other, but most eyes turned to certain players in particular.

"I'll do the role!" Dry Bones said, jumping up. "Unless someone else wants it." Everyone else looked at each other.

"You know...I'll do it too," Dashell called forward, stepping up and looking at the others. "We're all going to have to do something in this game, so might as well get chosen for a role."

"I don't think you're that big-mouthed...unlike..." Tiny said, speaking up. She looked at Piantissimo, who immediately noticed her glance.

"Well, if it's one thing, I will not volunteer for this part," Piantissimo said immediately, "because it seems boring. Last mission, I barely did activities."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Tiny asked, dumbfounded. "It's like you know what each part entails." Bowser Jr. looked at the crowd of players, then raised his hand.

"I'll do it," Bowser Jr. spoke up, looking at the players in general, "because no one else is going to volunteer, are they?"

"Good! You three?" As the three players were selected, McHallyboo nodded.

"Bowser Jr, Dashell, and Dry Bones...you three will be in Area 1," McHallyboo said to them, and while he explained the rules to them, the host couldn't help but reminisce as well with his words. "Diddy, Luvbi, and Vivian are in the center of Delfino Square. They are trying their best with a megaphone to recruit civilians to go to their party." He looked at the three players in the formed team.

"You three…will have to steal their megaphone," he told them, and the three males could only look at each other with apprehension and enthusiasm. Dashell, however, frowned.

"Steal?" Dashell said, repeating McHallyboo's words. His face seemed either conflicted with morals or scared of their assigned task of difficulty. Never the less, Dashell shrugged.

"Yes...and, you must not be caught," McHallybo added, giving Dashell another sinking feeling.

"How are we supposed to steal from them?" Bowser Jr. inquired, suddenly realizing the reality of their task. "They're in the middle of an entire crowd!" Dry Bones shot an unsure look as well.

"That's the tricky part," the host explained even more. "In order to succeed in your area, you must follow one special rule: none of the three players of Saboteur's Island must not look at any of you while you are still holding the megaphone." The players looked at each other, slightly confused.

"In other words, in order to succeed, you must steal the megaphone and be out of sight before its item is realized gone. If any of you are SEEN with the megaphone…your mission will be a failure."

Bowser Jr.: _That rule was one of the most difficult rules of the entire game._ _It was easy to break...like, really easy. So we just had to make sure nothing went wrong._

"Next," McHallyboo said, facing the remaining crowd. "I need three players who can snap a shot." The six players looked at each other, until Tiny raised her hand. Shortly after, Mimi raised her hand as well.

"Well, let me join the young ladies," Zess said, "because maybe I can teach them a trick or two." The three females seemed to be extremely content with who they were teamed with.

"Somewhere in the town, Goombella, Wendy, and Rosalina are searching for objects," McHallyboo told the three of them.

"Three females, three females," Mimi noticed, with a giggle. "It's like, going across dimensions! This will be very fun."

"You must study their movements," the host explained to them. "This is your task for Area 2 of this game: take photos of them, without any of them knowing. A photo each."

"Take…a photo each?" Tiny Kong repeated. "Like, one of each player?"

"Exactly," McHallyboo confirmed. "You must each catch them in a photograph. Each of you must catch a different player. And be warned: none of them must know that you are taking a photograph of them." The three girls nodded, looking at each other.

Tiny Kong: _It shouldn't be easy. But I felt like we stood a chance, as long as we worked together._

"So McHallybo, what do we have to do?" Piantissimo questioned, as Snifit and Eclair looked at him as well.

"You remaining three," the host said, looking at them and smiling, "will be tracking down a very important player: Yoshi. He is somewhere near the docks…isolated from all the other rest of the players and doing his job." The host seemed to exhale, remembering back on the events of season number two.

"Isolated from the others, huh?" Dashell couldn't help but say and notice out loud. "Smart…separating yourself from everyone else so they couldn't see what he was doing."

"And what a great move and Mole he was," McHallyboo said, grinning with memory. "Ahh...oh! Anyways, you three will be the Mole Killers of this game. You will sabotage, in a very direct way. You must push Yoshi into the water."

"Oh my!" Eclair covered her mouth. They stared at McHallyboo, speechless.

"P...push?" Snifit said, speaking with shock and breaking his silence.

"Yes, push," the host elaborated. "In order to complete Area #3, Yoshi must be knocked into the water. How you decide to do that action is…up to you." Snifit looked dazed, shaking his head with disbelief.

"Will he not be hurt?" Snifit asked.

"Well, if you think about it with clarity," McHallyboo added, looking at the three players, "it is a virtual Yoshi. He will not be hurt...in real life."

"It is so cruel...even though he is a saboteur of ruin," Eclair said in a conflicted sentence. She looked at Piantissimo, who seemed ready for the game. Only Piantissimo seemed unbothered with the action.

"Yes, well…yes," McHallyboo told them, shrugging. "But it is for the money, is it not?" The three players faced each other once again: their morals were mixed.

"Also, one thing too," the host forgot to mention. "You must push him into the water surrounding the dock. If he leaves the dock area, the game will be lost."

Piantissimo: _Okay, so I just couldn't comprehend the challenge. But all I knew was that we had to push the Mole…into water. This was going to be a very interesting, risky, and daring game. We just needed to be quick with our plan, I guess._

"Okay," said the host, smiling. "Now that you know your rules, this is the game: depending on how successful you are as a team, I will award you an amount out of ten thousand for each area, depending on how successful each area is. Any questions?" The players seemed to shake their heads, knowing each of their designated tasks for the game to soon occur.

"Then, to the plaza of dolphins!" A boat, which had been in the very distance of the horizon when McHallyboo had begun speaking, had finally reached the floating island. It was a passenger boat, a replica of the many which brought people to and fro within Isle Delfino. This one would take the nine new players to the plaza, where their games of action would take place. Very soon, all of them would be travelling to the past.

Bowser Jr.: _This might be the most remarkable mission of this entire game, and it's only Episode 2. After this, things will be either better or worse...hoping not for the latter!_

* * *

The boat, instead of going to its normal dock, stopped right at the edge of the parasol-ridden beach on the west side of Delfino Plaza. As the door was opened, the players could step out. But they had to wait for McHallyboo's announcement for the game to begin.

"You will have one hour to complete your areas!" the host informed them in announcement. Suddenly, they heard a booming voice in the background, as all heads turned to the center of the plaza.

"ALL TICKETS ARE 5 COINS EACH!" the voice boomed, as they all covered their ears.

"Diddy Kong…" Bowser Jr. said, almost in a challenging voice.

"Are you ready for your games to begin?" McHallyboo said, his hands carefully on the handle of the boat's door. Everyone seemed to nod in unison, ready to begin their roles in the game.

"Three…two…one…," counted McHallyboo, and he opened the door, the players running out at the timer's beginning. "May your sabotages succeed!"

* * *

"Okay, this is it! Here, guys!"

Dry Bones, Bowser Jr, and Dashell, designated to Area 1, made their way closer and closer to the booming voice of the past player. They entered into a small passageway, and then backed against a wall. Bowser Jr. peeked around the corner.

"That's him!" he whispered. In the center of Delfino Plaza, it was a sight too bustling for them to take in all of it. But standing in the center of the plaza, on a small wooden platform, was a primate speaking in a grand voice.

"Come to our party! It's the best!" Diddy Kong was announcing with a proud grin to the many Piantas that passed by him. He was speaking into an important device, one that was their object of interest for their entire game: a megaphone.

Dashell: _Distract the monkey from the past, get the megaphone, and dash out. How hard could our mission be? Unfortunately…it probably wouldn't be as easy as I first thought, to be honest._

"There's the other two!" Besides the player, two other people could be seen, one of them passing fliers with a self-assured attitude, and the other person timidly standing in place, as if she was watching the scenery pass by.

"Luvbi and Vivian," Dashell noticed, his eyes studying them both closely. "Third place and winner...we have to avoid them too."

"This is more challenging than I thought!" Dry Bones noticed, looking hard at the past players of their game. "How are we supposed to steal the megaphone from his hand!" Bowser Jr. thought, and looked at them.

"We need a game plan," was all Bowser Jr. could say. "Any suggestions?" Dashell and Dry Bones seemed lost as well.

"Oh," Dashell noticed, looking at the players in the crowd. Diddy seemed to hand the megaphone to Vivian, who grabbed it shyly. Dashell looked at this action carefully, then began speaking to his teammates in a voice of assertiveness.

Dashell: _Even though I had a plan in my head...I didn't know where it would go. We needed to build it._

"Vivian," Dashell said, as the others turned to him. "She's less assertive than Diddy, so she might be easier to take the megaphone from."

"It might cause too much attention towards us," Dry Bones said with contemplation. "McHallyboo specifically said, 'By the time they they see that the megaphone is gone, we have to be out of sight'. So…we don't want to be seen!"

"We won't be seen," Dashell said. "We'll create a distraction so big, no one will even notice us in the commotion!" Bowser Jr. looked at his two teammates, then thought of a conclusion.

"I'm not too sure on the whole 'steal from Vivian' plan that you proposed, sorry Dashell," Bowser Jr. said, taking out his journal and writing out a plan. "But other than that...I like distraction. Good word!

"Huh?" aid Dry Bones. Dashell seemed disappointed by the disapproval of his plan.

"We'll go with putting a distraction somwhere...then we can steal the megaphone?" Bowser Jr. brainstormed. He wrote something, and then stopped. The crowd seemed to become larger for the party-advertising group in the center.

"Uh, what's after that?" Bowser Jr. asked. "Like, who gets which role exactly?" Dashell and Dry Bones faced him, not knowing either. They had to build a plan, otherwise, the Mole would be the one to win their very task.

* * *

Mimi, Zess, and Tiny held their cameras in their hands. The cameras being miniature in size and smaller than most cameras, they were in advantage to them. But they were silent, seeing in the distance three figures ahead of them.

"Oh my gosh, there they are! Are those...the three of them?" One was of a female Goomba of smart-dressed attire, the second was a magnificent lady in a cerulean shimmering dress, and the third figure, a Koopa, was similar in sibling appearance to one who was playing in their very own game.

"Isn't she Bowser Jr's sister?" Mimi wondered, pointing at the female in the back with the pink distinguishable bow tie. "I can totally tell." They listened to the three past players converse.

"Okay, so like, what will we need?" they heard Wendy Koopa speak from in front of them. Tiny, Mimi, and Zess were hiding themselves behind the corner, peeping out.

"Well, these will be in an auction," they heard Goombella say out loud, thinking. "So we have to go for items that people will want to bid on!"

Tiny Kong: _So for our game, we all had to take a photo each of a player secretly. I think we just had to be sneaky._

"Bid on?" Zess questioned, raising an eyebrow and listening to the females in front of her. "What are they trying to do? Raise more money than the humongous five-hundred thousand coins one of them is going to win? Greedy girls!"

"Shh!" Mimi said to the elderly player. "You're talking too loud!"

"I'll be!" said Zess. She gave out a huff of laughter, causing Rosalina to turn around from in front of them.

"Hide!" The three players behind the wall held their breath in terror, who had managed to hide away milliseconds before being caught. As Rosalina turned back around, away from the players with cameras, they all breathed with relief.

Zess: _Ah...forgive me. I do not learn to keep a mouth shut, even at my older age. _

"They're trying to find items for an auction even they're going to host later," Tiny Kong explained, answering Zess' irrelevant question. "If we can just remember where they went next. Maybe we can intercept them or something."

"Oh my gosh...that's perfect," Mimi said, and she saw that Wendy had stepped back, setting up a perfect view for a photo shot.

Mimi: _All of a sudden, Wendy Koopa was in a perfect position. I don't know what came over me...so I did what I had to. I took a picture._

"Guys, I'm going to take a picture...right now!" Mimi said with confidence, as she took out her small camera.

"Mimi, don't!" Tiny said quickly, but it was too late. Mimi had aimed her camera, and with it, there was an unexpected loud noise. Mimi gasped and turned around, back so she was invisible to the others behind the wall. Almost immediately, Goombella, Rosalina, and Wendy turned around in unison.

"Umm…was it just me," Wendy Koopa said, as Mimi held her breath, "Or did I hear this really weird flash sound?" Wendy looked around, cautiously and suspiciously.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Tiny said, trying to speak in her lowest voice possible.

"Hmm. I don't think there's any cameras around," Goombella thought. "That would be a crazy idea." The three island females of them seemed confused, but after a small second, shrugged it off.

Tiny: _I even suspected full well that there might be a sound that would be emitted.__ It was a little frustrating! But I didn't want to get mad at her, for a small error like that._

"Mimi! That was dangerous!" Zess said to her, in a small scolding manner. "We didn't know what our plan was!"

"I had no idea how loud the clicker was!" Mimi said, looking sorry as well and looking at her teammates. "It was way louder than I thought it would be!" She pouted, looking sad. Tiny smiled with a shake of her head.

"Luckily, we didn't get caught," Tiny said, sighing with relief. "Let's think slowly. We need a game plan!" All of a sudden, they heard Rosalina speak out a single entence which made them all stop in their tracks.

"Say, why don't we stop by that boat house souvenir shop and search for an object there?" The three players of Season 3 froze with alarm, as Rosalina, Goombella, and Wendy headed to a lethal direction: to round the corner, right towards their direction.

"RUN!" Zess cried, as the three new females were chased out of their current location. Just by a second, they had missed capture by the three veterans of their very game.

* * *

"Whoa!" Piantissimo slid as he reached their position, the three of them huddled together. The last 3 players, Piantissimo, Eclair, and Snifit, hid themselves behind the wall of a building, much like the other groups had. But the area they were spying on was different: it was the dock, where boats would usually arrive or leave.

"Where is he?" Snifit said, trying to act like a spy.

"Look…that's him," Piantissimo said, pointing to the figure on the dock. "Just look at him." The person before them was holding a stack of papers, papers which he had no intention of handing out. His outward body actions seemed innocent, and when they looked into his eyes, they couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in them. But they knew who he was.

"The Mole," said Snifit.

Snifit: _It was interesting studying Yoshi…the psychology of a Mole. He definitely had a suspicious aura around him._

"How is he the Mole?" Éclair asked with wonder, looking at the green dinosaur. "He does not look guilty at all. He is rather…adorable!"

"It's all a trap!" Piantissimo said, studying the creature carefully. "Look at his suspicious, evil actions!" Yoshi waved at a passing Pianta. Eclair and Snifit seemed unbothered.

"He did not even bother to hand him a paper!" Piantissimo elaborated. Eclair gently laughed.

Eclair: _It was very humorous, because Piantissimo was so angry at a figure which did not even exist in our world._

"So...this is what we're going to do," Piantissimo, thinking quickly and gathering the three of them out of sight. "We're going to set our pace, get a running stance, and just knock him into the water. No thinking required." He faced Eclair and Snifit.

"Okay…" he began. "What is your plan? That's mine."

"I do not think we should rush our plan," Éclair thought. "Perhaps if one of us distracted him …the other one will able to push him into the water." Snifit seemed alarmed

"Wait…" Snifit said quietly. "You're both willing to do the mission? But..it will hurt Yoshi. It seems wrong." Piantissimo, who seemed lost in words, turned to Eclair.

"Convince him that it's okay," Piantissimo hissed. Eclair turned to Snifit.

"Sometimes," the princess began, facing Snifit, her voice reassuring, "the actions that you must commit may seem terrible. But it all has a purpose. It is your mission. Like right now Snifit: it is our mission to push Yoshi into the water. We have no other choice. And Yoshi...he is just fake."

"What if he starts crying when we push him into the water?" Snifit said to her. "Wouldn't you feel just awful about it?" Eclair's eyes widened, feeling a small wave of compassion. But she shook her head, standing firm.

"He is just a creation. We must do this." Snifit seemed to frown.

Piantissimo: _Snifit…all of a sudden, he was showing this morality side of him. It could have been real or fake, but neither Eclair or I knew. Hmm._

"Okay, so you can distract him, Eclair," Piantissimo began, pointing to Eclair. "You know…talk with him. Get him closer to the edge of the dock as much as you can get him to."

"Yes," Éclair confirmed, looking at the dock. "Will you be the one to knock him into the water physically? You must be quick, though."

Piantissimo: _You know, I was thinking to myself: this whole game, of the Mole, is going to test our morals left and right. So this was just a stepping stone of what I'd have to do in the future._

"I'll be as ready as a bat to charge," Piantissimo confirmed. Eclair nodded, and they both felt content with their plan. They both face Snifit.

"I'll watch in the background," Snifit began, then added, "and…if needed, I will push him too into the water or something." Piantissimo grinned.

"I can just see you, pushing him into the water, Snifit!" said Piantissimo, almost in a humored voice. "To see you push the Mole into the water, and win the money, will make my day." He gave Snifit a hard pat on the back, along with a laugh.

"Thank you, Snifit," Éclair in a soft voice, turning to him. "We must work together for this to be successful. You will help us win?"

"Yes..." Snifit said, then repeated, "Yes. I will try." Even though he nodded, his nod held uncertainty.

* * *

"Distraction..." Bowser Jr. said. "Distraction..." They were still in the center of the plaza, their thoughts still befuddled, hearing the endless ranting and talking of the player holding the megaphone before them.

"This might seem crazy," Dashell began, facing the other two to give his plan, "but I'm going to suggest something: Dry Bones, you will be the one to run and grab the megaphone." Bowser Jr., and especially Dry Bones, turned to him in surprise.

"M..me?!" Dry Bones said, immediately afraid.

Dry Bones: _Me? Runner?_

"I genuinely think you're the best runner, out of all of us," Dashell said. "Even...me". Before the others could talk, he continued his plan.

"Bowser Jr... you know this second season the best, and thus, we know the characteristics of Diddy, Vivian, and Luvbi, and what we could distract them best with," Dashell explained, while Bowser Jr. nodded. "So: if we distract Diddy and the others, knowing them the best, Dry Bones will have no worry getting the microphone out in time!" He stopped talking.

"What do you both think?" For a second, Bowser Jr. and Dry Bones contemplated the idea.

"Yeah, it's good...but the only thing I find kind of funny is Dry Bones doing the running part of the game," Bowser Jr. spoke, shrugging.

"Shouldn't you do the running role?" Dry Bones said, point got Dashell. "You're faster than me...and Bowser Jr! You're the fastest player, even faster than Piantissimo is!" Dashell grinned at his sentence, but then he only shook his head.

"I wish, but I can't maneuver with speed." Dashell said, looking down at the ground. "And...that's a problem. It's my flaw." The three of them turned to the crowd that was surrounding Diddy, Vivian, and Luvbi, and saw that the number of people in the area had increased.

"It's crowded, and if anything, my speed is pretty much ineffective," Dashell explained to them. "The last thing we want is me messing up this game. So Dry Bones, you have the best shot of going through the crowd the fastest."

Bowser Jr: _I honestly would have still put Dashell in the role of the running player. A good maneuverer or not, he was still the fastest. But honestly, what did I know? Maybe it would be a perfect plan._

Dashell: _I truly__ meant it when I said that Dry Bones might be faster than me at getting the megaphone away from view. I didn't want to admit that I'm not good at maneuvering, but I did for the sake of the game's fate._

"Then I guess you're right!" the son of Bowser said with agreement. "If what you're saying is true, then Dry Bones will be the runner in this game, and you and I will distract. You know...I think we finally have a master plan."

"Thanks for trusting me." Dashell grinned at the others.

"So you guys create a distraction, and I grab the microphone and run?" Dry Bones said, looking at them. "Is that the final plan?" Both Bowser Jr. and Dashell nodded, though still uncertain, were set on a master plan.

Bowser Jr:_ We had a plan. I'm not sure how credible it was, but we were going to do it. It was worth 10,000 coins, and we were ready to roll._

"Yoshi is one Mole...he's a clever one," Bowser Jr. said with thought. "I wonder who the other one is?" In the plaza, at that very second, two Moles were busy. Busy with their sabotage.

* * *

**Ah...what a location. I did not expect it either, but when I read this chapter myself, I was like, "FDHGMPM I MISS SEASON 2!"**

**I actually had to go back and see the scenes over again from Saboteur's Island. I even got some of the direct dialogue from some of their lines, in fact. I guess it really is travelling back in time. Anyways, to reply to your wonderful reviews: **

* * *

**sixthsense6: **Yes, if there's one thing to be glad about executed players, it's not having suspected them! And did you say "subplot"? Yay, Im happy I reached that status in this story! :D

**fredthemontymole**:Yes! The Mole, an illusion like this real world! That is exactly what I said in the opening paragraph of this Episode 2! : ) ah, isn't metaphoricalness just grand? Thank you for saying that. And about Agatha Christie, ugh, I even bought the book and lost it. I heard people torrent books these days though -shot-

**AdmiralBobbery:** Ah, I enjoyed your use of the words, "deadly coalition" (it sends me shivers!) and "spunky", hehe! I guess some players are spunky. And about your story, yus! WHAA, I had written a review for the beginning chapters on my mobile, and guess whose batteries died? T.T Please expect a review from me in the near future, sir : ) so far it is grand! Geysers, oh man...that's the WORST way I've heard bags being destroyed in a Mole game so far xD

**FireKai:** I'm glad you were surprised with Flurrie's execution! xD. I was afraid it was going to be a, "Oh, she wasn't important" first elimination. The truth is, another user messaged me on this site expressing their sadness for Flurrie's departure. It makes me both sad and happy...what a mix xP. Ah, and the error of names! I fixed that. You cannot blame me. The figures in red suits...forgive.

**Moley Koopa:** No! Flurrie was not innocent at all! She was guilty and devious...well, maybe she did appear way too calm and nice for this game xP Oh well, guess that's how she is. Darn! I hope the next execution surprises you! -sulks-. And I like that choice of words for "showdown". It gives me goosebumps...like legit! What a created image I had : )

**Princess Toady:** Awww! I'm sorry! -hugs and cries with you- I actually really DID like Flurrie as a character. Yes, I felt like she could have continued, but you see...I determine beforehands the orders of executed players! Well mostly, besides one or two small rare switches if I ever decide one! But yes T.T Good Mole clue analyzing, must say too! Thanks for reading...the Mole's entry. Muahaha. And hey, don't you have a Mole story too I haven't reviewed yet?! : p

**fiction idea: **Your suspicions: good points as always! Hehe, you never know in the end, do you? ; ) and also, darn darn darn you too for calling Flurrie's execution. I am despising all who had her pegged...dunno why xD. just kidding. Thanks for your review!

**TheGreatAvenger:** AH. YOU. HI HI HI HI HI! Hehe, it is very nice to see you again. I look forward to your "great" words! ...please shoot me with a Mole gun. But your comment about the producer's not being able to provide their budget, ahahahaa! That totally made me laugh, because it's true...the answer is, it is their last season! So they are using as much of their leftover money as they could, or else it would all go to waste. Look forward to seeing ya suspicions :D

**book-reader233**: Your capitalization of the word, "MOLE"...whoa! It makes such an impact. Kind of mysterious, and reminds me of how the producers on the actual show would emphasize the word "Mole" all the time, ahehe. I really liked your analyzation on the "relatives" issue of things, and it does hold logic? But is it right or wrong? (no duh...sorry -.-) Anyways, good clue analyzing as well, must say!

**PSULucky:** WHOA! Hats off, hats off! A whole list of each player's sabotages too? Even I, for the people who aren't the Mole, looked over some of their "sabotage" profiles and found things like, "Whoa...I had no idea they sabotaged that much/I didn't know they did that sabotage until I look at it". xD ugh, you know my story better than I do. I give my hats, Mr. Lucky! And very close on your solving of this next location too! The original last line in the Mole's letter was originally going to be, "Get ready to visit and island of Sunshine!" ...but then that clue seemed too obvz x.x ahahaha. You guys are way too smart for that.

* * *

**Will Diddy's megaphone be stolen? How will the photographers do in their own "Snap to See"? Will Yoshi take a bath? All will be answered next part! : )**

**Stay tuned everyone! And yes...more surprises to come indeed ; )**


	7. Agents vs Saboteurs

**Episode 2, Part 2! ...2 and 2. lol.**

**Anyways, this chapter is shorter than my usual other ones! I have noticed the shocking truth that my chapters have been averaging 7,000-8,000 words an episode part! Dx haha, so this chapter, and probably from now on, each episode part will be less words, due to the fact that looking back at Saboteur's Island...dang, my word counts have been increasing too much! But do not worry! A few less words gives me more room to give the best parts of the story and able to form it all better for you guys! : )**

**Anyways, not much of a big change, I kinda overexaggerated the above paragraph's significance xP **

**Enjoy this...Island of Sabotage!**

* * *

**EPISODE 2 (PART 2)**

They were standing in front of the boathouse, the three of them in a small moment of hesitation. Rosalina, Wendy, and Goombella were pondering on their next move. Three other females, near their location at the very moment, were pondering on what to do for their next action as well: Tiny, Mimi, and Zess.

"Over there, that's the boathouse!" Rosalina had seen it seconds earlier.

"Yeah…" Goombella replied, the thinker of the group, as she spoke in a voice of uneasiness, "but I'm still so suspicious of those weird sounds we've been hearing earlier." She had stopped, their crowd of three stationary on the docks of the boathouse.

"It's nothing, Goombella! You're just paranoid of this crazy game," Wendy said, laughing in a confirming voice. Tiny Kong, Mimi, and Zess listened to them with slight apprehension, but over anything, were happy that the three girls had stopped in their places. It was perfect for a camera shot.

"They're completely still," Tiny Kong said, as the three of them were hiding behind the flaps of a banner. "We just have to…get them. We still need three photos." She looked struggled, but Mimi from behind her smiled. Zess noticed the beaming face of happiness from the little player.

"Heehee," Mimi said quietly, covering her laugh. Zess looked at her.

"Huh, what's so happy about this mission, ma'am?" Zess questioned.

"I'm happy, because look what I did at the last location," Mimi said, and she displayed a photograph to the two of them. In the display screen, showing the photo that Mimi had taken moments before, a back shot of Goombella was visible to all of them.

"Oh, I'd say!" Zess said, looking surprised. "You got Goombella! Good work girl!"

"All by myself...I'm the only one who got a photo so far! See?" Tiny looked happy as well.

"But wait," noticed Tiny cautiously, looking at the photo. "It's only of her back? Would it count? Should we take another one?"

"So what if it's correct or not?" Mimi said nonchalantly, not knowing the answer herself. "Even if we're required to get a front picture of Goombella, I'm WAY too tired to do all that again. I'm just going to keep this as it is, and McHallyboo better accept it as correct!" Tiny nodded.

"Well, if we just snap a picture now, we'll be successful!" Tiny began. "We will-!"

"Let's go inside!" Goombella called out. The three people in front of them ran off. Rosalina entered the boathouse, followed by Goombella and Wendy. Tiny let out a groan of frustration.

"They disappeared into the boathouse!" Tiny spoke with misfortune, looking at their targets run off with misfortune. "We really...have to stop with these distractions." Mimi had a perplexed look on her face.

"I'll say," Zess huffed. Suddenly, they heard a voice, coming from somewhere near them.

"Hey. Psst!" The three camera players, puzzled, looked around them.

"Psst! Here, you saboteurs!" They turned to their side, and saw a figure not a very far distance from them. They saw that it was Piantissimo who was talking to them, and besides him.

"Quiet!" he hissed to them. All hiding behind a wall next to him as well were his teammates, Snifit and Éclair.

"Oh, hi guys!" Mimi said excitedly. "Over here! Over-" Snifit quickly made a silence motion with his finger, as Zess went to grab Mimi's mouth shut. In front of them, and completely missed in attention, was Yoshi himself, standing beside the dock which was in clear view of them.

"Back a little_,"_ Éclair silently said to them, moving her hands in an away motion. The camera players understood her: they were in the plain sight of the Mole of green himself and did not want to disrupt their teammates' plan. Their two areas were overlapping dangerously.

* * *

As the three females on the opposite of them were backing up away from their area slowly, Piantissimo turned to his partner, a ready look on his face.

"Just like we rehearsed?" Piantissimo said, giving a small handshake to the princess.

Piantissimo: _We had an ultimate plan, according to all three of us. Éclair, the beauty, would distract Yoshi with words. And I, the aggressor, at the right perfect and exact moment, will bump into him. In the end, he will be knocked into the water._

"Yes. I am ready." She ruffled her hair a little bit, making it look nicer, and stepped forwards into Yoshi's view. She cleared her voice loudly, getting his attention. Yoshi jumped.

"Ahem," she said out loud. Yoshi turned around, flabbergasted.

"Oh, hello there, kind and noble green one!" Éclair spoke out to him, in the grandest and most sophisticated of voices and in an accent too. "I am Princess Stephanie, and I need your assistance." Mim covered her laughter, looking at the princess from behind the wall.

"She's really playing it off," Tiny laughed, almost with awe. "She is like the princess of a foreign country!"

"Who?" Yoshi uttered, confused at the princess' appearance.

"I am Princess Stephanie from the land of…umm, Hohenlohe Desert," Éclair continued, words flying from the top of her head. "I am very lost in this...foreign ocean land."

"Hohenlohe Desert," Yoshi said, eyes curious. "Is that a country?" Instead of losing her cool, Éclair laughed out loud, covering her mouth.

"Hah! You are a silly dinosaur," Éclair said, her accent more thick and genuine-sounding as ever. "How dare you not know the great and powerful country of Hohenlohe? I am ashamed of such sorts. Slap, slap!" She took out her handkerchief from her pocket and quickly, gave the Mole a few little smacks, making him step back with surprise and bafflement.

"Hey please, calm down, princess!" Yoshi said, trying to shoo her hits away. "All right, all right, sorry! I'll help you with whatever you need! Just calm down a bit, please! And speak in a clearer voice…Princess…?"

"Stephano," Éclair said, forgetting, and the rest of the players could only stifle their laughs.

Piantissimo: _This was great. Eclair was great. I guess the whole game depended on me now, to knock Yoshi into the water. Especially since Snifit didn't want to help. He had...morals or something._

* * *

Area 1 was about to take action.

"The plan will work," Dashell whispered, looking ahead.

"I'm nervous…but we have to do this right." Bowser Jr. and Dashell stared ahead at the plaza's center, the marble ground glistening in front of them while the three party advertisers stood upon it. It was a sight they were about to enter: a place where they were about to do their devious job of stealing their designated object: the megaphone of money.

"I'm like, reaaaally nervous." Dry Bones was tying his shoes, then untied them, stood up, was cautious about his shoes again, and bended down to tie them again. He was set in place for their plan of the game. It was a plan that was all in their heads.

"Okay…so we know what we have to do, right…Dashell?" Bowser Jr. wanted to make sure, looking and confirming with Dashell for the umpteenth time. Dashell chuckled, having repeated it many times.

"Like I said," Dashell said in an intentionally-monotonous tone, talking from behind the wall that hid them from the plaza's center. "You distract Diddy with questions about the flyer. Diddy will put his megaphone down, and that's when I'll grab the megaphone, toss it to Dry Bones…"

"…who within the crowd, will grab the megaphone out of sight," Dry Bones finished, smiling. "I think we got this!" The three males kept their distance from being seen from any of the three party advertisers, but they inched closer, ready to take action.

"I distract Diddy, you take the item, and Dry Bones runs away," Bowser Jr. finished, looking more than ready to begin. "If this doesn't work, then…I don't know what will." Dashell made a weird face to Bowser Jr.

"But there's one thing we completely forgot about," Dashell suddenly realized, turning to them. "What if Luvbi or Vivian sees the megaphone get taken too?" Bowser Jr. thought for a second.

"Huh, I…forgot they existed," Bowser Jr. told him in an honest voice, then laughed. "Haha! They might see the megaphone get stolen too!"

Dashell: _Bowser Jr. thought he got the plan all thought out, and then he forgot all about Vivian and Luvbi's existence? Come on, man._

"Oh, then we'll just…have to….distract them all somehow," Bowser Jr. said, shrugging. "Somehow...we'll distract all three enough." Bowser Jr. looked at Diddy.

"Hmm…" he sounded, his head thinking. All of a sudden, he stared, looking right directly into the center of the plaza. Something was happening.

Bowser Jr: _Right before we take out our action...something saves us._

His mouth opened, and then he tapped his partners' backs with high excitement.

"Look!" he whispered in a tone of surprise and anticipation, pointing at the forming scene before them. In the center of the plaza, Diddy had stopped talking on his megaphone. He lowered his hand, and was facing a Koopa-troopa who had taken him into a conversation of unknown words.

"Hey, no littering here!" hollered a Koopa-Troopa a distance away from them, wearing a boater hat. He pointing an accusing finger at Diddy Kong. "You, the monkey! I saw that."

"What's going on there?" Dashell whispered to Bowser Jr. At first look it seemed like a normal conversation, but very evidently to all eyes witnessing, the conversation appeared nowhere close to being a friendly one at all.

"I was sending this to you!" Diddy convinced the kopa-troopa, trying to turn the appearance of throwing a paper airplane into a seemingly good cause. "Want to join the party?"

"I've gotten that advertisement numerous times," the Koopa-troopa ridiculed, "for that party on a deserted island." Luvbi's mouth dropped wide open as Diddy took a step towards the conceited city local. Bowser Jr. and Dashell exchanged glances.

Bowser Jr: _A…fight?_

"This is perfect…!" Bowser Jr. said, his mind thinking fast. "Perfect…perfect!" He turned to Dashell immediately.

"Dashell, we gotta change the plan," said the student eagerly. "This is the perfect time!" Dashell faced him with an incredulous stare.

"You can't be serious at all, sir," Dashell said in a voice that didn't take the son of Bowser seriously.

"Are you kidding me?" Dry Bones said with disbelief, as they saw the heated argument between Diddy and the random stranger. "We're not going to join a fight!"

"This is our chance!" Bowser Jr. said. "It's like…this mission was designed for us to interrupt during the fight!"

"Hey, man, I don't think that's going to help us win the game…" Dashell began. But Bowser Jr. stepped forwards, walked further, and further, and to the shock of his other two teammates, stepped up and stood right next to the Koopa-troopa civilian in the bowler hat. He was now face to face to Diddy Kong, a glare of anger forced onto hi face.

"Yeah!" Bowser Jr. said in a shout, approaching and facing Diddy Kong in the middle of the plaza. "I saw that! You're littering my town!" Diddy Kong, surprised from his sudden approach, faced the second turtle before him. The crowd around them seemed to hush into silence, and slowly, more people arrived and began to look at the starting scene of commotion.

Dry Bones: _What….the flying heck? Bowser Jr. was beginning a fight with a player in our past season. I couldn't believe what was happening._

"You want to fight, you Koopa!" Diddy Kong said vehemently. "Okay! Let's fight!" The crowd surrounding the players in the center, both old and past, became larger. It was a crowd to witness.

"Yeah, I wanna fight! You tourist who doesn't care about Isle Delfino!" the hatted Koopa-troopa said, taking a stance. "Let's brawl!" Bowser Jr. let out a supportive uproar.

"I'm not afraid to face a couple of spineless turtles," Diddy Kong said, laughing to himself. Everyone else their breath.

"I'm not afraid to fight a hairy, leader-role taking, executed fourth ape," Bowser Jr. replied back, and Dry Bones clutched his throat in terror at his spoken line. Diddy's face turned into a stare of wrath.

"Bring it, turtle." Diddy, with a single toss, threw his megaphone to the ground, as Dashell's eyes turned to it in awe.

"The megaphone!" Dashell spoke with a surprised gasp. "It's on the floor! We gotta get it!" But it was a sight too wild and risky to enter. Diddy lunged at Bowser Jr, who, being truly innocent, ducked in pure terror. However, Luvbi had pulled him back, and at the same time, another Pianta joined into the crowd to tear up the fight. The koopa-troopa in the bowler hat, however, had taken a swipe, light in power but able to knock Diddy Kong backwards, whose body motion ended up hitting Luvbi as well. Luvbi stepped back, shocked.

"You hit me!" she shouted in an ostentatious tone, pointing at the koopa-troopa in a bowler hat. "You absolutely, without any thought, hit me!" Then she stepped back, and shouted something that never would have happened in the second season of the game.

"Security!" she screamed, and police men, who were already making their way over to their location, were now present in the center of the plaza as well, mixed into the already-large frenzy, chaos, and havoc of a crowd. The shouts and fighting yells were deafening. Dashell faced the megaphone, stunned with panic and interest.

"Go! Get it!" Dashell shouted, pushing Dry Bones towards the direction of the fray. "You have to get it!" Dry Bones took a step back with horror.

"Why me?" he shouted, facing the athlete Pixl. "You're the fastest one here! Why do we still have to go with the plan?"

"Just go with the actions of the original plan!" Dashell said in a panicked-sounding voice, pushing him back closer to the crowd, "You're supposed to get the megaphone, right? Go, go go!" Dry Bones gulped, then ran forwards, carefully hopping his way to the center of the crowd. Dashell watched, apprehensive, his eyes following every one of his moves.

"Enough, all of you!" cried a Pianta policeman, who was in the center of the fighting and clawing hands.

"It is perceptibly his fault!" Luvbi blamed, pointing a finger at the hatted Koopa-troopa.

"No! He started it!" the koopa-tropa shot back, pushing against Diddy and not pulling back.

"I'm going to get you for this!" Diddy exhaled, fuming. He lunged at the Koopa-troopa, as everyone in the crowd gasped.

"Rawr!" Bowser Jr. said, trying to add fake drama to the already out-of-control fire. He nervously glanced out of his eye, seeing Dry Bones appear from the corner of his eye. His teammate, as risky as it was, was going to get the megaphone.

Bowser Jr: _Look back, I don't know if it was the right idea to form a fight, in order to help us retrieve the megaphone. If it turns out it doesn't work in the end...then of course, it's my fault. But I was in the mind of rush, ya know? But what surprised me most: Dashell STILL sent Dry Bones to get the megaphone? I wouldn't have done though._

* * *

Tiny Kong, Mimi, and Zess had chased down the three auction-hunting females, to the entire opposite side of Isle Delfino. They hid, once again, behind another wall.

"Look at what they're doing!" Tiny said, pointing. A lady from her top window was in discussion with Wendy. From listening, it sounded like a friendly deal of negotiation.

"I'll see if I can find any objects to give you!" the Pianta woman from her open window shouted out politely, and the three girls at the bottom were excited, waiting patiently. Most importantly, however, they were standing in place.

"Yes, a picture!" cried Mimi. "This can secure us!" Having already taken a picture, she motioned for Tiny and Zess to take their pictures.

"Okay," Tiny said carefully, and she took a step forwards, to get a better view. As Wendy slightly turned her way, Tiny made her decision, and instantly clicked the camera. It was a loud sound, but because of their safe distance from them, and the other girls' concentration on what was being delivered to them from above, nobody had even noticed. Tiny had snapped Wendy.

"Yes, a photo! Good as new," Tiny said in a satisfied voice. She showed her teammates her photo.

"Zess, quickly! Get Rosalina!" The elderly toad stepped forwards as well like Tiny, aiming her camera.

"Okay…" she said with excitement. But as she tried to press down on her trigger button, she paused, a struggling look on her face.

"I can't really…get really click this button," Zess said, her voice both frustrated but humored at the same time. She held the camera up in the air, and saw Rosalina turned slightly towards them.

"Zess, now!" Mimi cried. But somewhere was wrong, seen on the face of the chef. She seemed puzzled, attempting to press down on the shutter button of the camera.

"My, oh my…," Zess said in a curious voice, trying to press down on the shutter button of the camera. It was a circular disc at its top, but as she moved her finger to press it, it did not click or shutter. At that second, they heard the auction girls talk once again, but this sentence made them feel thoughts of dismay at their opportunity.

"Yes! Thank you!" Wendy shouted, as a Pianta lady tossed a pair of sandals from the second floor of her apartment. Goombella screamed, laughing as she tried to catch one of the falling footgear, and the three players immediately rushed off. Zess put down her camera in both frustration and embarrassment.

"It appears I am not as young as you girls," Zess said, laughing and showing the camera to them. "I simply…could not click the camera!" Tiny and Mimi seemed genuinely concerned.

"Let me try," Tiny said, grabbing the camera from her. She pressed down, and surprising her, it flashed instantly. She shrugged, handing it back to Zess.

Tiny: _I mean, I guess it was__ suspicious that Zess wasn't able to press the button of the camera down. But you didn't know whether it was her sabotaging or because she was an old lady._

Zess:_ I am just unfamiliar with technology these days. These girls, they knew how to make videos, upload them, process them…and I couldn't even click a darn button! I'll be darned to my grave!_

"Well, you know what?" Tiny said, looking at her watch. "We have around twenty minutes left. We can still catch those girls. What do you say?" The three of them looked at each other, optimism still in their team of three.

* * *

"That's pretty awesome! Japanese cuisine is fabulous, cause everything's just visually appealing and delicious." As Yoshi spoke, Eclair looked out behind Yoshi: Piantissimo was standing, half-hidden behind the wall of the building feet away from them. His goal, and the game's deciding action, was to run out and push the sabotaging dinosaur into the water. The action was up to him.

Piantissimo: _I decided to stall for two reasons: one, I was nervous. And two, a__t Éclair's angle, it was hard to just knock him into the water without knocking her into the water as well. She was in a completely terrible position! So I was really waiting it._

"Oh, let me tell you all about it quickly, because I have to leave soon!" Yoshi began, as Éclair shot a panicked look at Piantissimo. Piantissimo waved his hand, as if saying to continue talking.

"Why are you not going yet?" Snifit said, standing beside him with a slightly panicked look.

"I need the right angle," Piantissimo said anxiously to Snifit. "At this angle, I might push Éclair into the water as well! Grr!"

"Oh, then why don't you just tell her?" Snifit said nonchalantly. Piantissimo stared at him, an incredulous look in his eyes.

"Oh yeah," Piantissimo said in his most sarcastic voice. "Let me just go up to Eclair, and tell her do move, so I can push Yoshi into the water. I really hope Yoshi doesn't hear me when I say that." Snifit didn't say anything.

Snifit: _Yoshi was going to leave soon, and Piantissimo was too hesitant in his angle to pushing Yoshi. Half of what he said seemed legit…but a lot of it seemed mumbo jumbo in my opinion._

Éclair:_ It was a clear path to push him into the water. I do not know why he was not pushing Yoshi into the water._

"Ah, please stay, Yoshi-san" Eclair began, trying to stall for more time. "It is a pleasure talking with you."

"So what kind of food do you have in your country?" Yoshi asked Éclair. "I'm interested in culture too! But let's talk, because I have somewhere to be soon!" The princess paused for a second.

"Oh, umm….you see…chicken," she uttered. She gave a worried glance at Piantissimo.

"_Piantissimo, please push him soon,_" she mouthed silently to Piantissimo. He understood, but replied back, shaking his head.

"_Not yet_," was all he replied back in silent mouthing. Yoshi, not noticing any of this, laughed himself.

"Oh, chicken!" Yoshi chuckled, as Éclair laughed falsely too. "Why, I haven't had chicken in a while. I prefer fish, though…I'm not really a good swimmer"

"I am afraid I am not either," Éclair said, nervously facing the water. She turned her direction, and Yoshi himself stepped a foot towards a forward direction: right closer to the direction of the ocean's water.

"Ready…set…" Piantissimo finally spoke to himself, deciding that the path was right. His eyes gleamed.

"NOW!" he yelled, and he ran straight forwards Yoshi. Éclair let out a shout and covered her mouth, stepping directly to the side, leaving Yoshi alone in place.

"Whaaa!" cried Yoshi. He was startled in surprise, holding his ground. But Piantissimo, even with his quickness of lightning, was no fued against Yoshi's agility and reflexes of an animal. As Piantissimo went to outstretch his arm into a push, Yoshi took a side-step, quicker than the flash of a camera, and Piantissimo unfortunately found himself running into empty air.

"Whoa!" This time, it was Piantissimo's time to cry out as he tried to steady his feet on the dock of the wooden platform before the water. But unexpectedly, slipping heavily on the wet floor, his feet instantly gave way. Flying into the air, all three people at the dock saw Piantissimo leap away from the safety of the wooden dock with horror and into the vast ocean water. His body hit the water, resulting in a splash.

"Piant….tissimo?" Snifit said, his face in worry. He looked forwards with newfound horror, at Yoshi.

Snifit: _Oh dear. I believe, in lack of better words…we were in the position of "doomed"._

"What….was THAT?" Yoshi exclaimed, turning to Éclair before him in a stunned and suspicious voice. "What on Earth was that for?!" Éclair took a step back, worried.

"I…you see…" Éclair said timidly with fear. She backed a few steps away, as Yoshi stepped towards her.

"Did he just try to push me into the water?!" Yoshi exclaimed with pure confusion. Snifit jumped with excitement and nervousness.

"Push him!" he shouted. "You must push!" Éclair braced herself.

Éclair: _It was my turn to take action. I had a duty._

"Ah!" Éclair sounded in her loudest voice, running towards Yoshi with outstretched hands. "You must fall!" Yoshi shouted in reply and surprise as well, but quickly caught the running, charging princess in his hands. The two of them, soon were in a duel of pushing. Snifit watched with panic.

"What are you doing?!" Yoshi yelled, his eyes panicked. "What on earth are you doing to me!"

"It is necessary!" Éclair cried. But she was no match for the dinosaur.

"Who the heck are you guys?" Yoshi cried. "I don't even know you who you guys are! Is your name even Stephanie?" Snifit watched in the background, his eyes full of worry, as the dinosaur and the princess fought on.

"Please…go…into…the…oomph!" Yoshi leaned to the side, his arms carrying Éclair with the motion, and she, like the previous player seconds ago, too fell into the water. With a cry, she fell into the ocean with a splash.

"Oh dear!" she cried, gasping for air. Two players were now in the water. Piantissimo, swimming towards the dock, chose to wave his hand up in the air to catch Snifit's attention.

"Snifit!" Piantissimo yelled, face above the water and was swimming closer to the direction of the dock. "Push him! Snifit!" Snifit, panick-stricken, just looked at Yoshi.

"You guys are all crazy!" Yoshi said out loud, turning around and facing the town again. He faced Snifit in the eye, who faced him back. For a second, they stood, both individuals not knowing what to do.

Snifit: _I could have done something. I really could have, and I wanted to. But I was just so stricken with panic and kind of fear._

"I'm off!" Yoshi ran off, never looking back and even running past Snifit as he went off. As the Mole ran away, Piantissimo only stared from his spot in the ocean, a look of continued disbelief on his face.

* * *

"I'll give you a whipping, you useless monkey!" shouted a Pianta, who had been knocked in the head accidentally by the player. The center of Delfino Plaza was crazier than ever, and it was a sight to never be forgotten in the history of the town…if it truly had been occurring the in real town of Delfino Plaza.

"Yikes!" Dry Bones ducked, trying to hide away from the crowd, as he crawled forwards on the ground. In front of him, an object glistened: the megaphone of the game was sitting motionless on the floor.

Dashell: _I knew he would grab it and go away unnoticed. That's why I sent him. We had this game in our pocket. No one...and I repeat, no one except for me, had seen him grab that megaphone._

Dry Bones crawled out the other end of the bustling, fighting crowd, and went up the opposite end of stairs of the plaza's center. In his hand, he gripped the megaphone nervously, running out of the area as quickly as possible at his fastest speed.

But there was one person, besides Dashell, who had looked at him as he grabbed the megaphone and exited out of the plaza center's sight. Someone saw him, who in the entire plaza, had the most intelligence out of every person present. It was a past player who possessed excellent analyzing skills and detail to attention. A person who had the potential to win the game of The Mole, and who had achieved the deserved prize in another, previous real life. A winner.

Vivian, focused and attentive, watched Dry Bones take the megaphone out of the plaza.

* * *

"Wow, nice picture," Mimi said with impressed feelings, handing back Tiny's camera to her. "You really got a good shot of Wendy. Better than I did of Goombella!"

"Thanks," Tiny said, smiling and hoping that their mission would go well. Zess, the last camera person, had one more shot to take.

"I see them!" Zess said carefully, peering at them and getting her camera ready. The three girls, standing in Delfino Plaza's front side, were standing in a moment of contemplation and silence, thinking to each other what to do next.

Zess: _This was my chance to redeem myself. I could really get this shot! Hopefully my finger would be strong enough this time._

"Are you sure you got a good view of Rosalina?" Tiny asked her. Zess nodded, and readied her hands. She raised her camera. Then, with stronger will, she pressed her button.

_CLICK!_

* * *

"That was SO DANGEROUS!" Dry Bones exclaimed, running out. "Why did we choose to do that?" Bowser Jr., who had miraculously escaped behind him, was running alongside him. Not far behind them after a few seconds, Dashell ran out from under the plaza's bridged entrance, appearing as well.

"I think we totally lost them," the fast Pixl told them nervously, his voice relaxing as he ran with his teammates as well. "I looked, and none of them saw us."

"Pfft! I'll be surprised if Diddy doesn't appear behind us to globber us," Dry Bones thought. Bowser Jr. shook his head.

"Don't worry," Bowser Jr. said, panting and speaking to both of his teammates. "We just have to survive the rest of the time limit without being seen by any of them!" He paused.

"As crazy as that was...and even if we somehow broke a rule or lost the mission...that was sorta fun." He then stopped in his tracks with curiosity. A figure stood in front of him, one of familiarity that Bowser Jr. recognized right away. He was wearing purple suspenders, had a habit of not shaving his distinguishable mustache, and most recognizable of all, a yellow cap that matched along with his yellow shirt and overall theme. He was a player from the past. Bowser Jr. let out a heavy chuckle.

"Wario," Bowser Jr. said, chuckling to himself. "What a guy he was...he was a good runner-up though." The three of them continued to walk forwards, towards the direction of the boathouse on Delfino Plaza's east side. All of a sudden, Bowser Jr. stopped walking, a strange look on his face.

"Wait…" he said, turning around and looking back at the player he had passed. "That's…doesn't make sense."

"What?" Dashell asked, looking at him. "What's weirder than what just happened to us minutes ago?"

"That guy," Bowser Jr. said loudly, pointing to the image of the yellow-dressed figure behind them, "was never on Delfino Plaza during the events of this mission. He was on the island, setting up the party. If he's supposed to be on the island then…why is his image even here?" Hearing him, the individual turned towards the direction of the three players.

"That's because I'm not like any of those other, freaky fakes," Wario said, his eyes looking out at them with a striking, genuine look. "I'm just me. Wario!"

* * *

**..…DUNN DUN DUNNN. I**** can imagine Wario spinning around a yellow cape with that line or something…LOL.**

**Anyways, the mission in general…wow, what chaos! It was EXTREMELY fun mixing in the events of ****The Mole: Saboteur's Island**** with this story. I made sure everything fit perfectly, timeline wise, line/sentence wise, and even action-wise (if you look back at see the moment when Goombella, Rosalina, and Wendy walk into the boathouse in my past game...the other three girls' existence CHANGED their actions and caused them to pause...very Back to the Future esque xD).**

**Okay! Let us purge!**

* * *

**sixthsense6**: Correct on the cameo! And ah yes, suspicions! There were indeed many acts this part. Hopefully not too many for you, and you were able to pick the right one! xP

**fredthemontymole****:** "Favorite fanfiction ever" WHAAA (hides in a hole). Did not need that. Ahaha, but thank you very much and it is my pleasure to hear that : ) Therapy for the Mole, I lol'd cause that's so true! And yes, about the real Yoshi, you were very close! Except alas, it was Wario to make the appearance. Also, I went and searched your creeppasta and ended up watching an entire documentary video on it….never…ever….again…..

**Moley Koopa****:** Ah, your smartness shines! You are so correcto-mundo with your prediction of a past player! (geez, you readers are getting smarter… x.x) haha and appreciation on your predictions! But will they even hold up? Hehe...everything is predetermined beforehand, so I do know indeed if you're right or wrong : )

**AdmiralBobbery****:** Alas, so sorry about Admiral Bobbery's lack of appearance! And I realize, he is the ONLY ONE who does not make an appearance from the previous cast! (besides Boo). Sincere apologies x'D. But ah, it is my pleasure to review your story! I am very happy to hear that and hear that it made your day! = ] lol, usually I am not that cool in life lol.

**FireKai****:** I know! Some of those missions just seemed so darn difficult. But I guess we all got to see just how their roles played out in this part, and what they all did and decided to do. And even though the Yoshi was fake in this game, he still had a lot of spunk and character! xD.

**Elemental Queen**: Thank you so much for your review! : ) I am so glad to hear that! I definitely try to give my characters life…sometimes it's hard in the first few chapters but after that I'm able to give each of them their own unique characteristics. and hehe! I am quite glad you believed the past Mole was the least expected character! X) sometimes, I do indeed aim for that! So hehe, much appreciated.

* * *

**The first mission of Episode 2 was quite an action-y one! Just how will the results of this game play out in the next part? And how will the new players be in the presence of the man in yellow? And just what happens next, exactly? All coming to come soon! (hopefully with a little surprise too?)**


	8. Dine and Deceive

**MY FIRST DELAY! Yay! : D**

**Wait, I'm proud? x.x Haha, but no worries guys. I ran into a bit of real-life stuff. I...got a summer job. Whaa, my freedom…sniff...but don't worry. Now I'm devoting all my free time to this story, hehe. ****And I have some awesome announcements at the end of this chapter!**

**Anyways enjoy! With Mission 3 ended, just what is in store for the others?**

* * *

**EPISODE 2 (PART 3)**

"Now, now, settle down everyone," McHallyboo announced to everyone before him. "I know we just ate lunch, but I have to tell you the results of the games you guys played this morning!"

"I honestly think it's unnecessary to go over them, because we did quite atrocious," Piantissimo mumbled under his breath.

"As did we," Dry Bones said, raising his hand. "I don't think we did that well." Bowser Jr shot him a look of disagreement along with a head shake.

"What else could have gone wrong?" he wondered to himself.

"You never know." Next to McHallyboo, Wario stood. Everyone was introduced to the man in yellow during lunch, and realized that he indeed was none other than the actual Wario. He was freshened up, more so than he appeared during his stay in Season 2. Trimmed and wearing a rich, yellow-shaded suit that he would have never worn during his play of the game, the players couldn't help but be awed by last game's runner-up.

"As you all know, Wario is in this game now," McHallyboo said, as Wario stepped forwards.

"Yep, I don't want any of you thinking I'm fake and pushing me into water," he chortled, facing the players of Group 3. "So I'm welcomed back." Everyone laughed.

"So, ahem," McHallyboo said, clearing his throat and pointing to the left-side of the players. They had been separated into their respective groups.

"I will introduce the results of the game in the order you finished." He was pointing right at the group of Team 3: Piantissimo, Éclair, and Snifit.

"Team 3! Your job was to push Yoshi into the water…and you indeed quite failed to do so," the host informed them, as Piantissimo gave off an exaggerated look of surprise.

"If it wasn't for Snifit's…change of morals," he muttered, as Snifit perked up.

"It came to my attention, that you, Snifit," the host said, pointing to the player, "had the chance to push Yoshi. But on your will, you decided not to push Yoshi when you had the chance. It was an interesting choice of actions. But was there an explanation to it?" As Snifit looked at the others, everyone turned to him, and he answered.

"It wasn't right," was all Snifit could say.

Zess: _What were us to do? Suspect Snifit for such an obvious attempt at sabotage, or not suspect him for it? Frankly though...it was still a fishy act._

"I will, however, award the team with attempts," McHallyboo said, as all players looked surprised. "Piantissimo, because of your act of attempting to push Yoshi, I will give you 1,000 coins." At this announcement, everyone lightly clapped at the win.

"Hmm," Piantissimo considered, nodding his head. "Better than nothing."

Piantissimo: _Of course, I wanted to win more money for the group. It's embarrassing to mess up in a physical mission, when you're known to be the most physical and athletic._

"And Éclair, you actually went forth and physically touched Yoshi, trying to push him off," McHallyboo continued, as the princess turned to him with surprise. "For that action, I will award you 2,000 coins for your action." As the princess looked stunned, everyone around her clapped.

"Thank you, team," she said.

"3,000 coins for Team 3," McHallyboo said, continuing on. He faced the first group of players: Dry Bones, Bowser Jr, and Dashell.

"You had the very interesting mission of having to steal an object from a very game that was taking place," McHallyboo told them. "You had to remove the megaphone from the scene, without being caught!"

"I think we succeeded, right?" Dashell wanted to confirm. McHallyboo inhaled.

"Actually…no," McHallyboo let out, exhaling. "A player saw Dry Bones, right when he was about to exit the corner of the scene." At that sentence, all players went into a moment of shouting and disbelief.

"WHAT! That's impossible!" Bowser Jr. shouted. "I made sure no one was looking at Dry Bones!"

"Vivian," was all McHallyboo said. Bowser Jr. shook his head, still in disbelief.

"I was right there, next to Vivian!" Dashel and Dry Bones had equal faces of perplexed confusion, but all McHallyboo did was shake his head.

"I…whut, that's not possible," Dry Bones added, "because I ran as quick as a bullet out of there. I didn't think I actually got caught by anyone's eyes!"

"Actually, you seemed to slow down as soon as you were exiting the scene," Dashell suddenly spoke up, his direction not looking at anyone in particular, to avoid their stares. Dry Bones shot him a confused look.

"What! I didn't!" he said, voice perplexed. "I ran as fast as I could out of there!"

"In my opinion, you sort of slowed down towards the end," Dashell said, shrugging.

Éclair: _It is ideal for Dry Bones to slow down to be caught by Vivian, but that is, if he was the Mole._

Dashell: _You know, if I really had to blame on sabotage…it's the person who sent us into that arena without a plan. Bowser Jr. was the first one to yell, "This is perfect!" and run into the scene. He caused it to break apart._

"Do we get at least any partial money?" Dry Bones said, almost hopefully to McHallyboo with a smile.

"Yes," the host said, as the whole group seemed to sigh with relief. "I'll give you guys 5,000 coins for retrieving the microphone."

Tiny: _I feel like someone in their group could have distracted Vivian. If someone did, we could have won the full money value._

"All right, Team 3!" McHallyboo said, as the three girls turned to his attention. "You had to take a photo of all three players of the auction hunt. Let me start with…Zess."He turned to her.

"You took a wonderful picture, I heard. Besides having some trouble with the camera clicker." Zess laughed out loud, then covered her mouth.

"Well, let's not mention that mishap that's related to my technological lack of knowledge," Zess chuckled, giving the camera to McHallyboo.

"A beautiful picture of Rosalina…excellent work," McHallyboo said, showing the rest of the players on the camera's digital screen.

"Mimi?" asked McHallyboo. Mimi handed her camera next, with a gleaming smile on her face. McHallyboo looked through the camera's data, and found a single photo.

"Mimi…you got the intelligent and sophisticated Goombella," McHallyboo announced, as Mimi had a smiled a huge smile of satisfaction and glee. "More money added! Tiny?"

"Oh, here," Tiny said, taking the camera out of her pocket. "I got Wendy Koopa." McHallyboo took the camera from Tiny, and pressed the panel button on the camera's back, just like he did for every other camera of the trio. But his face looked perplexed, and even the other players who didn't participate in the game could tell something was wrong.

"I…do not see anything," the host said, eyebrows confused. Tiny's faced McHallyboo.

"Huh?" Tiny said, her face confused and going to the host's side immediately. Zess and Mimi faces were equally stunned.

"I mean, perhaps the camera hit something on the way!" Tiny said in an overwhelmed voice, grabbing the camera itself and pressing the 'load' button. "Is it possible that it's just broken-"

"The blank image on the camera's screen signifies a VERY strong possibility that someone deliberately deleted the photo," the host said announced. Everyone felt into a hushed whisper.

"Huh? That's impossible." Zess stepped up to Tiny's side.

"Girl, let me tell you: I don't believe anyone deleted that photo," she said, her voice strongly firm but reassuring. "Nobody could have deleted that photo. It must be an error!"

"I…don't know anything that could have happened to it," Mimi said, her eyes wide. "Someone must have deleted it! It was one of you!" Zess stepped back, hearing her accusation.

"Now quit that before we all turn to each other in blame!" Zess snapped, as everyone turned to look at her. "I don't want that to happen. This is suspicious, but let's leave it at that." Tiny still looked stunned, and she was looking at the ground.

"I…didn't delete it," she said, shaking her head. "I really didn't."

Dry Bones: _It's hard to believe what you hear. You don't know what anyone is thinking in this game, and who's telling the truth, and who's not._

"Tiny, do you remember anything happening or possibly hitting the camera during the duration of the game?" Éclair asked her, touching her hand softly. Tiny thought for a second, then shook her head strongly.

"I…really don't know," Tiny said to them. The crowd was silent for a second.

Zess: _If Tiny was going to take the blame, then might as well all of us take the blame as well._

"Huh, well…" Dry Bones said, then grinned. "Partial money?" Mimi shot him a disapproving look.

"Yes, well, because two of the three camera pictures were retrieved, I'm be glad to award you all," McHallyboo said to them. "I will still give you all…7,000 coins." The players, amidst the confusion and the small losses, clapped at their largest win of the game.

"Three thousand…five thousand, seven thousand….wow, right on the halfway mark," Bowser Jr. noticed, quickly calculating. "That's fifteen thousand! Halfway of the total!"

"Ah, well, we still must celebrate a win," Zess said, smiling devishly.

"Is it just me, or are we happy that Mole is sabotaging?" Dashell said with thought. The players all laughed.

"Huh," Wario said, almost silently. "And these guys are celebrating even if they win just half their money? So much for Season 2's enthusiasm."

**Team Pot**

**_30,000 COINS_**

"All right, so hey guys!" Wario spoke up immediately, speaking up and announcing himself to the crowd. "I'd like to introduce the second half of this day, and the beginning of the new mission that's coming up. But before everything happens…I want to introduce…this person." He opened his arms up to behind him, as a figure emerged from the inside of the boathouse behind him on the dock.

"It indeed is a fine pleasure to be back here," the figure spoke. It was a person that most, if not all of them, recognized. Glowing brilliantly in the sun, she was used to the tropical air around her, because she had spent seven episodes while in the midst of its presence. The smiling figure stood before them.

"Luvbi Nimbis, from Season 2," McHallyboo announced, as all the other players couldn't help but not only stare in awe at the player, but clap as well. Luvbi smiled and waved at them.

"It's quite grand to meet you all," Luvbi announced, stepping her way from the far wooden dock and towards them. "It seems I am back here, in this land of dolphins." Bowser Jr's mouth was agape.

Bowser Jr.: _Two players from the Season 2? This was crazy! And something amazing as well. I was excited for what was in store actually, because I felt something was up with these two._

"I just saw you!" Dry Bones exclaimed. "In the plaza center!" Luvbi face looked puzzled.

"That…was an electronic figuration of her," Dashel reminded him, almost shaking his head and laughing himself.

"Well, for tonight, four of you will have a private dinner with our lovely past players," announced McHallyboo, as everyone in the group smiled and made sounds of interest and excitement. The host turned to Wario and Luvbi.

"You two: you must choose four players who you desire to dine with," the host informed them. "They will be your guests at dinner tonight, and you will be theirs." Wario and Luvbi turned to the crowd of players.

"Huh, well," Wario said, thinking. "That's a tough choice. What kind of question is that?"

"You all seem like a delight to dine with, and perhaps to get to know," Luvbi began, "but I must choose someone: Éclair. You are of royalty, and so am I. I would like to question you on your life and way of living." Éclair looked surprised but bowed gratefully to the ex-player, and made her way over to them.

"Bowser Jr, get over here," Wario said, mentioning the tiny dragon to make his way to him. "You seem to know a lot about this game. A little TOO much, actually. So I'm interested in knowing how much you know."

"All right!" Bowser Jr roared, almost jumping to the side of the yellow-suited man.

Piantissimo:_ Humm. You couldn't really tell if you wanted to be picked or not by these players. I feel like talking to them at dinner would either help you or hurt you._

Snifit: _Did I want to be accepted by these people? I don't know._

"I have heard of your kind…Pixls?" Luvbi questioned, and everyone turned to Dashell, who seemed surprised as well. "I would like you to dine with us as well." Dashell nodded, almost accepting the invite with appreciation.

"And Dry Bones, I think you might make a fun crowd," Wario said, "cause you're witty." Dry Bones seemed flabbergasted as well, and made his way to the growing group. Wario and Luvbi had their guests.

"You lucky four will have a private dinner with these two lovely players," McHallyboo said, smiling. The remaining five players were then faced by McHallyboo.

"Mimi, Zess, Snifit, Piantissimo, and Tiny," the host continued. "You five will be having your own separate dinner…but it will not be eventless either. You will all be participating in a game later this night…a very costly mission, that is." The group of five all faced each other, a bit excited and anxious for their future game activities in store.

Mimi: _We really have to stop losing these missions to little itty-weeny mistakes! Everything just has to go right in our next mission…or I'm not even going to tolerate it._

"Ah, so, must I announce the location of where we will be dining?" Luvbi asked, looking at McHallyboo. McHallyboo nodded.

"We will be dining at sea," Luvbi told them all, as they all faced her with eagerness and anticipation. "At approximately six tonight, we will be boarding a boat. Players…it will be a pleasure sailing with you." Everyone, with no doubt, was excited. Their game, at a larger extent, was going to set sail.

* * *

"I have to complain about that last mission…very much," Piantissimo said irately, as he and Bowser Jr. unpacked their bags in one of the boat compartments. It was a large boat, and it was big enough to hold sanctuary and bed space. Rooms that were placed in the main hallway of the boat held sleeping and resting lodgings for all nine of the players present. The players were put into these neat and well-designed rooms, to relax and rest before their meals later that night.

"The ground was extra slippery," Piantissimo sulked, taking off his shoes and showing the soles to Bowser Jr. "Do you not see?" Bowser Jr. couldn't see anything.

Bowser Jr.: _Piantissimo was blaming the outside world for his faults instead of himself. You know what's funny? I think the first day I was in this game, I was the one who was sulking. Now my teammate is! Did I pass my sulkiness to him?_

"I don't think blaming slippery grounds is going to keep you from admitting your mistakes of not being able to push Yoshi into the water," Bowser Jr. said straightly. "You have to admit your faults. And just know! If you aren't the Mole, then you shouldn't feel guilty! Easy as that!" Piantissimo nodded.

"Well, it makes sense…blaming this world," Piantissimo snickered. "This is the Mole's world, after all. It's probably created to be sabotaged in the first place. Slippery floors, doors that won't open…I bet the money is digitally disappearing right as we speak!" They both laughed at the ridiculous statement, but it was still something that gave them humor in their momentd of loss and misfortune.

"Hey Piantissimo," Bowser Jr. said, turning to his teammate beside him. "I hope you make it far." Piantissimo stopped, taking in his teammates' words. He paused again before speaking.

"You too," said Piantissimo. Bowser Jr. grinned at his teammate.

"Well," Bowser Jr. said, putting on a red bow tie and getting ready, "I'm going to get the Mole before they destroy me. But first." He looked in the mirror, straightening his bow tie for the happy occasion.

"An awesome dinner with the veterans."

* * *

"And it was…just gone," Tiny Kong explained, who was sitting on her bed with her face in her hands. "I should have checked the camera beforehand. But I really didn't see anything wrong with it." Éclair stood across from her, changing her shoes into a more elegant pair. But she was listening.

"It is so odd, Tiny," Éclair told her, putting her old tennis shoes into a bag. "Please do not mind me asking, Tiny, but did you delete the photograph yourself…perhaps on purpose to attract suspicion?"

"Why on earth would I do that?" Tiny asked with exasperation. "I want more money to go into the pot! I feel like this game is totally against me." As Tiny continued to sit on the bed, Éclair made her way and sat down next to the distraught player.

"Please do not feel that way," Éclair said to her. "We all must fight not only each other in this game, but ourselves." Tiny looked at her, realizing the truth as well in herself.

"Yeah, I have so much like…guilt over this incident…but you're right, Éclair," Tiny said with realization, then looked at the princess. "You're totally right. I'm just attacking myself. I should just let it go." She sighed.

"Especially if it isn't my fault, anyway."

* * *

"So Piantissimo has this huge ego problem, but you have this…moral problem?" Dashell asked, while trying to find something fancy to wear for his dinner. In his room, Snifit was behind him.

"Yes," Snifit simply said. He turned away to write in his journal.

Dashell: _What kind of character was this guy? He's either going to make it to the end, is the Mole, or just play the remainder of this entire game as his enigmatic self. But…I had to admit. It was kind of cool being beside him._

"I feel like you were the first person you actually talked to and opened up to…it was probably the first night in Yold Town, right?" Dashell decided to say to Snifit. Snifit looked at him, a little surprised, but it was the truth.

"That's cool, cause if you say you opened up to me first, that means it says something about me," Dashell said in a conclusive statement about himself. He slightly smiled.

"So maybe I'm approachable naturally to certain people. And people would like me." Snifit could only nod at his statement. Dashell nodded, then opened the pre-set wardrobe before him.

"Hmm…well, with my limited options, this looks cool." Dashell took out something from the wardrobe in their room that made him look at it with admiration: a suit, one which could only match that of a human form. He laughed out loud.

"Ah, well," he said, almost in a reminiscing voice. "Only in the past could I have worn this. If only time went back." Snifit turned around, and though his interest was grabbed by the Pixl's line, he didn't ask anything.

* * *

It was approaching dinner time. As the four fancy diners were led to one side of the boat, the five others were led down another hallway, to the separate side of the ship. Mimi and Zess, discussing their plans for the next unknown mission, walked down one of the hallways of the ship's many corridors. Turning the corner, they stumbled into Dry Bones' path of walking.

"Ow!" Mimi said, accidentally knocking into Dry Bones. Dry Bones jumped back, immediately startled.

"Oh! Hey! Umm! You guys," he said, stuttering from the collision. "Where are you guys even going? I'm going to my individual dinner with Luvbi and Wario."

"We're going to OUR separate dinner," Mimi explained, distinguishing their meal from his future one. "Where are YOU going?" Zess hushed her, and then turned to Dry Bones.

"Honey, you're going the wrong way," the elderly toad said with a chortle, pointing the other direction out to Dry Bones. "While we're going to our own boat eat-a-thon, you're going to have a grand meal with the great ones."

Dry Bones: _These two girls. At the moment, I wanted to ask about Tiny's camera in the previous game. They were present there, after all, and maybe one of them knew something._

"So, it was really strange that Tiny's picture got deleted," he began to speak, giving them a nervous smile. Mimi and Zess seemed to nod.

"It was really out of the ordinary, yes," Mimi said in a puzzled-sounding voice.

"Okay," Dry Bones said, and cleared his breath. "So…did any of you know that deleting a picture from a camera is really simple? Which one of you is prone or more tempted to do that?" Mimi looked stunned.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Mimi snapped, her voice sounding offended. "You're the one who's been blaming people from Day 1! And you think any of us would sabotage to make Tiny look bad?" Dry Bone gulped.

"Mimi, quiet down just one bit," Zess said, her voice calmer, then turned to Dry Bones. "I guess it's reasonable that you suspect one of us of tampering the camera, Tiny included. But it just can't be. Impossible, I'd say! We were all with each other a complete twenty-four seven, and there was no moment where one of us could have deleted the photo." She huffed.

"Hmm, well," Dry Bones said, scratching his head. "I hate to point fingers, so I guess I'll trust you guys on this one. Maybe McHallyboo rigged the camera previously to be messed up. That was my original theory, anyway."

"Well, that's the truth, so we'll leave it at that," Mimi said, still sounding bothered by his statement.

"Thanks mightily, Dry Bones, and no hard feelings from an old lady," Zess said, winking to him. "And with that, we'll be going to our own dinner table." Zess turned around, as Mimi followed her down the new corridor. Dry Bones watched them leave, more bewildered than ever. But he straightened out his neck tie and went the opposite way.

* * *

It was a very eye-catching and elegant room. A dinner table sat in the center of the 5-star dining room service that was equipped with the ship. Glass plates littered the table, soon to be filled by equally-luscious nourishment and fare: the food.

"This is quite fit for a king," Bowser Jr. said, not only drooling at the little appetizers that littered the table, but the whole appearance of their sophisticated dinner location as well. The four players, all dressed to their best, stood before the entrance of the room, looking in. McHallyboo, dressed a suit nicer than the usual attire he wore, approached them. His face looked impressed.

"Well, aren't you all just dazzling!" he exclaimed, having a thing for fancy clothes himself. "It's just like how I told you all to dress too. Welcome to a dinner that shall not be forgotten."

"Too fancy for me, but I'll take it," Dashell told him, who was still buttoning his shirt sleeves.

"Soon to join us will be Wario and Luvbi, from last season's game of The Mole: Saboteur's Island," McHallyboo to them. "They will be eating dinner with you. But…this won't be any regular old dinner." The four players stopped to look at him.

"There will be a mission during this luxurious mission, called _Subliminal Dinner_," McHallyboo explained to them. "And this is how it will work." The players listened carefully, intrigued but confused at what was to occur.

"Through dinner, and before dinner ends, each of you must complete a certain action," the host explained. "You must commit this action, perhaps as subtly as you can. Because after your dinner with the two previous Mole players are over…they will be asked to predict what your assigned actions were." The players looked at the host, nodding but still unsure of their next involvements.

"What are the actions, exactly?" Bowser Jr. asked him, his voice overly excited.

"By the order you reached this very dining room, you were assigned a task," the host explained, still facing Bowser Jr. "Bowser Jr, your task is this: you must drop your spoon and fork on the floor, at separate times, before the dinner is over." Bowser Jr. laughed at his task, then nodded.

"All right, well," Bowser Jr took in, looking at the silverware on the table, "I guess I should do that AFTER I finish my meal. Don't want a dirty eating fork or anything." His face held interest in the upcoming mission. McHallyboo turned to Dashell.

"Dashell, your task is to cough twenty times within the dinner time," the host told him, as Dashell's face immediately turned into a thinking one. "You don't have to do them all at once. You can do any interval you want." Thinking hard about his mission and to the host's words, Dashell nodded. McHallyboo turned to Éclair.

"Éclair, your task will be a verbal one," McHallyboo informed, as Éclair listened. "You must get Wario and Luvbi, each, to state either one of the two titles of the previous seasons. So, for example." He faced Éclair, who was still confused.

"You have to make Wario say, "The Mole: Traitor Aboard", and Luvbi to say, "The Mole: Saboteur's Island". Or vice versa." Éclair nodded, fully understanding. Finally, the host turned to Dry Bones.

"Dry Bones, your mission will be an interesting one," the host said. "You must sing. A 15-second song. In the presence of the others." His face horrified, Bowser Jr. started immediately bursting into laughter.

"Oh man, you got the worst one," the son of Bowser couldn't help say with growing laughter, between laughs. Dry Bones buried his head.

"This really isn't fair," Dry Bones muttered.

"All right, so," McHallyboo concluded. "After dinner is over, I will explain the mission to both Wario and Luvbi. And they each will have a guess at what your action was. If they get your action correct, along the general words, you lose. However, if you stump them both, and neither of them can guess your assigned task, you earn a point." McHallyboo faced them.

"If you are able to get just two points, you will succeed this game," McHallyboo said, and everyone's eyes looked ready. "25,000 coins will go into the pot for this game's success." The four players turned to each other, and then they heard footsteps from behind them, in the corridor leading to the magnificent room of dining.

"They are arriving," the host said, then stepped away into a side door. "Do well, players." He closed the door.

* * *

It was an average eating room, but nothing short from visual attractiveness. With wooden walls and flooring, the five other players of Agent's Elevation were seated to a dinner before them, as windows in the background let them see the sunset that was disappearing into the distance.

"It is so, so pretty," Mimi couldn't help but say, the sunset hitting her plate and reflecting off, setting an atmospheric tone of ocean air and sea.

"I'm ready to critique this food," Zess said in joking tone, as they all immediately began to eat. It was a long day, but most of them were eating to take their minds off from the game they were to partake in that night.

"The food...is good," Mimi said, not being picky.

"So, any idea what game we're going to play, guys?" Tiny brought up, looking at the others. Everyone else shook their heads.

"If it's a physical mission, then we probably shouldn't eat so much," Piantissimo said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Unless you want a spasm of cramps to sabotage your stomach during the mission." Mimi made an unwanting face.

"Maybe the game is happening now," Snifit spoke up, as everyone looked at him.

Tiny: _Whenever Snifit spoke, I felt like it was just crucial to listen to. Everything he said was just smart. But mysterious. He rarely even spoke in the first place, which is the problem: how did we know what this guy was hiding? And is he really just a genuine player?_

"I think we should just ALL sit back and relax," Zess said, raising a stick of fish into the air. "Because we always spend this game worrying, and fussing, and worrying and fussing." She thought.

"Flurrie herself fussed so much into this game, and look where she ended up!" Everyone paused and turned to her, as Zess covered her mouth in realization at her line.

"Oh, I don't not mean it in that way," Zess said, her face sorry. Mimi pouted, remembering their executed player.

"No, I understand what you're saying," Tiny said suddenly, nodding. "We shouldn't let this game overwhelm us. It already had overwhelmed a lot of us." She smiled sadly.

"I'm almost…glad Flurrie isn't here at this point," she continued. "I'd feel bad if she was still here. This game is just getting crazier. Now that she's not here...she doesn't have to deal and suffer with all this deception everywhere."

"Really?" Piantissimo asked, sounding doubtful.

"Yeah, she's too nice to be a game like this!" Mimi said, butting in with an enthusiastic voice. "The game doesn't deserve her to be here!" Piantissimo faced the three females, and shrugged.

"Whatever," he said, getting up from his seat. "When one of you gets executed, I hope you'll be saying the same thing." The rest of the players watched him move his way to the restroom.

* * *

The dinner was set in mood. On one side of the long, white-draped elegant table, the four players sat, watching each of their every own moves. On the other side, their judges sat nonchalantly and sophisticatedly: Luvbi and Wario.

"Ah, is this not a fine dine, Wario, compared to the ones we were subjected to in our game on daily basis?" Luvbi said, grabbing her wine glass in a special manner sip from it formally.

"Yeah, you guys are lucky," Wario said with a laugh, slamming his palm onto the table and not so sophisticated as the person beside him. "You get a 5-star dinner!"

"Yes," Dry Bones said timidly, his body rigid. The players beside him could see that he was overtaken by the goal of the mission. Bowser Jr. sighed with frustration, and then looked at the fork besides his plate. Slowly, and decisively, he picked it up.

"So what did you guys do in the final three?" Bowser Jr. said, his voice excited and waving his fork in the air excitedly as well. "I heard lots of things went down!" He gave the metal object in his hand a twirl, and Dashell saw what he was doing.

"I…do not know," Luvbi said, then turned to Wario. Wario thought for a second, stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth and chewing on it thoughtfully.

"Well, you see, me, Vivian, and Yoshi all had to go into the final episode with mixed feelings," Wario explained to him. "Vivian was unsure of the true Mole, and Yoshi of course knew who the Mole was, but I myself was just scared that Vivian would beat me in the final episode. And guess what? She did!" He laughed, then stopped himself by drinking water.

"Oh, what was the name of your second season, may I ask?" Éclair said suddenly, her voice showing interest. "I remember it was….the Mole…."

"The name of our season?" Wario asked, looking at her. "Oh, you're talking about the official televised name, right? It was The Mole: Saboteur's Island." Éclair nodded gratefully. She turned to Dashell, who shot her an urgent look to continue. It was her chance to continue.

"And the first one…" Éclair continued, looking at Luvbi. "I do not remember the name of its game either. It was...The Mole…."

"Traitor Aboard," Luvbi told her, almost as if she was showing off her knowledge. Dry Bones let out a small shout of excitement, as Luvbi and Wario turned to him in confusion. Knowing they were looking at him, Dry Bones shook his head.

"I'm okay, I'm okay!" Dry Bones called out.

"Ay". Bowser Jr. couldn't help but facepalm silently, the fork still in his hand.

Bowser Jr: _This guy was going to blow it for us...if it wouldn't be me dropping my fork, first._

* * *

Their plates were almost done, and the atmosphere was not as bright as it was before. Not only was the sun already setting in the distance and making the room darker than it was earlier at the start of their dinner, but everyone knew and felt that something was coming up, as they all patiently waited at their table.

"Ah, there you guys are," McHallyboo said, as all attention turned immediately to him. "You are all about to play your next game."

Zess: _A very costly game, according to McHallyboo's words….just what could it be?_

"This game will be called Exemption or Bust," the host told them, and he smiled. "It's a Mole classic, you see. You must choose just one of you earn an exemption for this episode." Everyone faced each other, the sound of chair legs screeching the floor with an excited shift of movement. The words echoed in their ears like gold.

"Just...one of us?" Piantissimo repeated.

"And you must unanimously agree who receives that exemption…before the sun sets," said the host, looking out at the window in front of him at the disappearing gleam of yellow sun.

"That's not fair!" Mimi stated, her voice beginning to whine. "What if I want the exemption over everyone else? Then how are we supposed to agree on this at all!"

"That's the point of the game," Tiny said softly.

"I will award you all not only ten thousand coins for this game if it is successful, but ten thousand coins of your already-lost money will be added BACK into the pot as well," the host explained to them, as they all became alert at this mention. "So, you know all that money you lost from Episode 1? Some of it can be earned back." He turned to the setting sun behind them.

"If you don't, then the pot earns nothing, and all opportunity is lost," the host continued. "So, please elect someone soon. The sun will set in perhaps twenty minutes. So you will have exactly that time amount to decide on the exemption receiver. Good luck."

"But we must choose unanimously, right?" Tiny Kong confirmed with the host. "We must all agree on one person?" The host nodded.

"Why, that's easy!" Zess said, sounding more enthusiastic than the others. Snifit slowly shook his head, which McHallyboo noticed.

"Things are easier said than done," the host smiled with a quick wink, and he left the room. When he did, he left the five contemplating, soon-to-be fighting players to their own mercy.

* * *

**Ah, Exemption or Bust is quite Mole classic material! It was originally going to be in Saboteur's Island, but now, it is here. Just how will these players of Season 3 play it out?! Will they succeed, or succumb to their greed?**

**I apologize! For this chapter, I am not going to reply to your reviews, due to heavy lack of time.. BUT I WILL MAKE IT UP TO YOU GUYS! Because I have spent a great deal of time preparing something for you all.**

**Because….dun dun dun dun! –plays Mole trumpet-**

**The official site for ****The Mole: Agent's Elevation**** is on my profile! Please give it a visit : ) it is still in working stage, however. It still needs a bit of small cleaning up and there are no player descriptions. All will be fulfilled in next update! Or rather, over the course of the next few days. So check back in like two or three days. Profile descriptions will be added then.**

**Next time, into the final parts of Episode 2! Stay tuned all!**


	9. Not Yet a Team

**YUS. I have updated before a week! That was my ultimate goal, in honesty xD couldn't let another time go.**** I do hope your summers are going well! It Is only the month of July…and a whole lot of summer left. : )**

**A lot of deceit and foil is in store below, as the players take part in their split games of **_**Subliminal Dinner **_**and **_**Exemption or Bust. **_**Just what action will the Mole? How much of chaos can occur in not one, but two games? Enjoy!**

* * *

**Episode 2 (Part 4)**

Bowser Jr. jumped up from his seat.

"That's the episode you guys stayed up all night to defend the sacred pot, right? That was totally amazing and spectacular, and just...awesome!" he exclaimed, voice at full excitement. Luvbi and Wario stopped their talking, a bit baffled from the player's outburst exclamation.

"Why…yes it was," Luvbi said, blinking. From the corner of his eye, Bowser Jr. could see Dashell shoot him a strange look and the mouthed phrase: _What exactly are you trying to do in this mission?_

"Ah, it's already ten minutes into our dinner, and we still haven't been served our first dish of the night," Luvbi noticed, glancing patiently at a clock on a mantelpiece beside them. "It must be a very fancy dinner."

"Ah, speak of the devil," Wario said, as the unique waiters dressed in sailor attire approached their table with plates. Putting down a dish, it was unveiled. All players, including old ones, looked at it with curiosity.

"Ah, is that…" Dry Bones noticed, recognizing it.

"Escargot," Luvbi announced, looking at the dish and sounding rather pleased. "It is snail, but it is succulent."

"Ahem, ahem!" coughed Dashell, looking at the dish with a face of subtle disgust. "That is a rather…revolting dish." He coughed again, almost as if he was afraid of the dish before him.

"I actually find this dish...refreshing and royal," Luvbi said, smiling at Eclair across from her. "Don't you?"

"Why yes," Éclair said, almost appreciatively. "It is of French culinary origins. It is popular in my origins. I believe we will all enjoy it." She smiled, looking at Luvbi, and they both began to pick into their plates. Dashell coughed again, waving away the food.

Bowser Jr: _I like him and all, but...Dashell's__ acting was too much. I don't know if it was his real acting, or possibly fabricated to be exaggerated. I was like, "Dashell, you're going to choke to death before dinner even finishes, and Wario's really going to think suspicious of you then. Take it easy."_

Dashell: _Obviously, the coughing technique at dinner was not working. It was a foolish move, I admit that right out as a player. So I was going to switch to this other plan I had in my head since the beginning_

"Hmm, more excellent food!" A second dish arrived, and it was a plate of caviar. A plate delivered next to it was full of vegetable sticks and crackers, for its dipping. As they ate, the players couldn't help but realize that with each dish served, their time limit got closer and closer to ending.

"Caviar, mmm!" Dry Bones faked his enthusiasm for the food by grabbing an entire spoonful.

Dry Bones: _In truth, I hate caviar. I just wanted to look like a good guest for the veteran, before…I sang my song of doom for them._

* * *

**Exemption or Bust: **_**20 Minutes Remaining**_

All five players were ready and alert, sitting at their circular dinner table. Separated from each other equally, it was as if they all had their own stance and place in the game.

Tiny: _So we had just twenty minutes to decide which one of us would win an exemption. And 20,000 coins were at stake for it. Honestly, I didn't know how it would turn out at all. I was a bit scared._

"Okay, so all five of us must decide on one person, and one person only," Tiny spoke up, looking at everyone else. "We have to do this…correctly." Zess nodded, but with curiosity, and spoke.

"Excuse me, but what's the definition of 'correctly'?" Zess asked curiously. "We must know what that means to go on." Tiny shook her head.

"I'm…not really sure," she admitted.

"Easy," Piantissimo began, looking at everyone else at his table. "Like…it's like…all correct." His face showed that he didn't even know either.

Piantissimo: _This was harder than I thought. But I was doing my best to ensure that in the end, I ended up with the exemption and no one else._

"Okay, so let me propose something," Piantissimo said, taking the lead vocally. "We all want the exemption, right? So we just have to choose the person who deserves it the most. I think we should go by whoever has made the most money in this game, to this point."

"Can we just make this fair?" Tiny spoke up, looking at everyone else. "We need to make this unanimous, right? So we each just choose a person each to vote for the exemption!"

"Oh, then it's easy!" Mimi said suddenly, looking a bit more relieved. "I'll vote for myself and-"

"OTHER than yourself," Tiny Kong finished. Mimi immediately frowned.

"Hmm, but then it's just like a popularity contest," Mimi said to the group, her frown still persistent.

"Snifit, I want to hear your say in this," Zess said, leaning over to the player with genuine interest. "What do you think?"

"I…" began Snifit, then he shook his head. "I don't think that's the right way to play this mission. I would just have all of us select a single player at once." Piantissimo laughed.

"Of course you would disagree," he snickered. "You're so silent in this game that you don't even have any friends. You would never win in such popularity." The three females at his table all gasped in shock, as Snifit looked hurt.

"You're not popular either!" Mimi called out in angry voice, staring at the player who just spoke in the eye. "You aren't exactly the most respected person here, and on top of that, you don't have that many friends either…Stuck up-Issimo." Piantissimo's mouth dropped.

"Why…you spoiled, little-"

"Enough!" Tiny cried, almost reaching across the table herself. "Really! Just stop fighting! We won't get anywhere with these attacking statements!" Mimi and Piantissimo looked at her.

Piantissimo: _Mimi...I just can't stand her. She brings stuff up that just ticks you off. She does that to like every single player in this game, and unluckily, it works. If that's her strategy as the Mole or not_

Mimi: _I just cannot stand rude people and Piantissimo was one of them. He was the one making everything fall apart, and blaming everyone left and right. Just so, so rude! And...mean-acting!_

"Please stop fighting," Snifit pleaded, holding up his arms. "I'm…not offended. I just don't agree on this method. That's all." Zess sighed.

"Then we'll have to devise another method," Zess muttered, standing from her table, and she then made her way across the room. "This must be arbitrary, do we all agree? Let's do it like we did in the old days, shall we?" Everyone stopped talking and watched the older player grab something from the side table that had all their drinks. She then folded what she picked up into small pieces, and returned back to their table. She dropped the objects into the center of their dinner table.

"Straws," she said, looking triumphant and temporarily ending the growing feud. "Whoever picks the right straw out of this bunch…will get the exemption. Now who will disagree with this?"

* * *

"Where's the restroom?" Dry Bones asked, standing up from his chair.

"Hey, I know where it is," Bowser Jr. said, almost grabbing Dry Bones arm. "Follow me." The two players got up from their seats, leaving the rest of the diners alone to their own eating. They walked out of the room, and into the corridor that led to the dining room of the ship.

"Okay, I really didn't want to use the bathroom," Bowser Jr. admitted, smiling a little mischievously to Dry Bones. "This is just a good place to discuss, without Wario or Luvbi listening in. Isn't this awesome? It's like cheating the boundaries of the game!"

"Oh," Dry Bones said, nervously laughing. "I was actually going to use the bathroom. But go on." The two of them were in secret discussion, and even though they were alone, they still insisted on talking in whispers.

"Did you see anything out of the ordinary yet?" Bowser Jr. asked him. "Like…a fork dropping?" Dry Bones looked at him, slowly with incredulity.

"Did you already drop a-"

"Yep," Bowser Jr. finished, before Dry Bones could begin his sentence. "I dropped the fork already, onto the marble floor. It was loud, but I don't even think you noticed, Dry Bones."

"What!" Dry Bones exclaimed, still confused. "But how? When? I'm sitting right next to you at the table!"

"When I jumped up in excitement about the game, that is," Bowser Jr. said, in a voice that was proud of himself. "It did two things. One, I was able to drop my fork without anyone noticing the sound at all. Second, Luvbi or Wario might now think my action is…I don't know…'having to jump out of my seat'." Dry Bones clapped silently, understanding, then thought.

"You should jump out again," Dry Bones said, thinking. "So then they would really think that was your action and guess that!"

"Hmm," Bowser Jr. said, then shook his head. "If I jump up again, it might be too obvious. I don't want a reverse psychology effect, you know." As Dry Bones shrugged, Bowser Jr. continued on.

"But whatever. You gotta sing your song soon, or else we're doomed, buddy!"

"But…Bowser Jr," Dry Bones said, shaking his head. "I'm not as brave as you!"

"No, really, it's easy," Bowser Jr. told him, jumping forwards with his hands on his hip, in almost a theatrical pose. "Just sing it loooo-oud! LOUD as the wind!"

"Hey, who's here?" Wario said, appearing around the bend of the corridor, and surprising the two of them. The two players froze, as the person in yellow appeared right before them. It was an encounter that was too close.

"Ah, well, that was a good bathroom break," Dry Bones said quickly, disappearing from the scene with a job back to the dining room. Bowser Jr. and Wario, two players in different eras, stood alone.

"Hmm, fritty guy," Wario commented with a shrug, as Bowser Jr. kept his nervous sigh of relief low. "Anyhow, the Italian Wedding soup is out on the table. You should get it. There's only five dishes until the dinner ends, and this is the third one." Bowser Jr's eyes widened with panic.

"So dinner is already half done?" he said, then faked his smile. "Ah, then we must hurry with our...actions." He nodded to himself, then faced Wario.

"Hey, Wario…so I was wondering. I wanna ask you a favor."

Bowser Jr: _There was something genuine in this guy, and I wanted to pick it out. I felt like I could do something that would help the team._

Wario: _I got this strong, fishy vibe from this guy. It didn't help that he was Bowser's offspring. Not at all._

* * *

**Exemption or Bust: **_**14 Minutes Remaining**_

"So we have five straws," Zess told the group, her eyes gleaming. "Pick one." She displayed it out to the others. The four players who surrounded her eyed her single hand of straws carefully.

"Are we honestly doing it like this?" Piantissimo said with disbelief.

"I mean, we're so uncommunicative as a group, we might as well do it," Tiny said, deciding and nodding. "Okay, Zess. You say that one of the straws is folded in half and shorter than the others?"

"That's correct," Zess stated, "and whoever grabs that straw, everyone here must AGREE that the person, and only that person, gets the exemption. Understood?"

"Well, I hope no one chooses MY straw," Mimi spoke up, her face not liking the situation at all. "Because mine has to be the folded one, or I'm gonna just be angry and all." Snifit got up from his seat made his way over to next to Zess.

"May I, please?" Snifit requested. Zess showed his hand to him.

"WAIT!" Piantissimo immediately shot up, his voice loud and firm. He looked at Snifit, eyes in realization.

"Snifit got an exemption in the first episode! What makes you think it's fair that he gets another chance?" Everyone froze. Snifit just looked at Piantissimo, dumbstruck.

"I mean, we should all get fair chance," Snifit said, shrugging.

"You just want more of a chance YOURSELF in getting the exemption!" Mimi said to Piantissimo, pouting.

"Mimi," Piantissimo said, almost in a baiting voice, "The less people running for the exemption, the more of a chance YOU have of getting the exemption as well." Mimi's eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh, well," she began, her mind and thoughts changing. "Yes. It's just unfair if Snifit gets a second chance at an exemption. He should be excluded from this game." Snifit looked at her, shocked, along with Tiny and Zess.

"But…that's not fair," Snifit began, but he was powerless over the voices of the others. However, Tiny stepped to his side.

"Okay, it's not fair if Snifit gets excluded, because we all have to share a one-fifth chance at this exemption," she spoke, and there was a schism between the two teams.

"Then I declare this whole straw-drawing thing faulty!" Piantissimo announced.

Tiny: _Ugh, we couldn't even agree on a randomized straw game. I was definitely with one of the most controversial group of players ever. _

"How are we even going to do this?" Tiny sighed, voice low and exasperated. Zess shook her head, the straws still in her hand: they weren't going to get chosen at all. Time was ticking.

**Exemption or Bust: **_**10 Minutes Remaining**_

* * *

"Oh!" Dashell said, as Éclair exited from the women's bathroom. They both stood in the ship's bathroom corridor.

"I didn't know you had left to use the bathroom," Dashell began, laughing. "I went to go use it, and then what are the chances! I run into you."

"Even though there are just six people?" Éclair said, wide-eyed and looking at him. Dashell stopped, looking lost in words. Eclair only laughed lightly.

"How is everything at the table?" she asked. "Was Luvbi or Wario suspicious of my action? I was afraid it was too obvious." Dashell shook his head.

"It was a fantastic move, and nobody even suspected you, ," Dashell told her, smiling. "You did a great job, actually. You're the only one who has done their action so far. I'm doing terrible at the moment. Did you hear those genuine coughs at the escargot?" Éclair smiled at his comment.

"The games have been so busy, we never get any free time to talk," Eclair said to him. "But I am pleased to have succeeded in my part of this mission." Dashell's face suddenly changed, into a more serious one.

"Actually, I'm happy we stumbled into each other," Dashell told her, his voice turning to an urgent tone that alarmed her. "Because I wanted to tell you something that was bothering me. I don't think you're done with your task, Éclair." Éclair looked alarmed.

"Not finished?" she asked. "But how is that possible?"

"When Luvbi stated the name of the first season…she said 'Traitor Aboard'," Dashell said, sounding panicked as well. "Not 'The Mole: Traitor Aboard'. She didn't say the full title!" Éclair gasped with realization, then thought.

"Do you believe it is necessary?" Éclair wondered. Dashell shook his head.

"I…honestly don't know," Dashell began. "And I wanted to tell you one other thing, Éclair. Or rather…something for you to hear." All of a sudden, Dashell coughed, then coughed again, and before seconds, was pulled into a quiet fitting rage of coughing, staying in place. Éclair stepped back, baffled and worried.

"Hungh!" Dashell coughed, and Éclair could see that he was counting his coughs as well. After ten seconds, Dashell stopped, and he smiled.

"Twenty coughs. During the time of dinner." Éclair stood for a second, not getting it, but then she understood.

"That is very clever, Dashell."

Éclair: _He was a clever player. It is hard to not be impressed by his actions._

"Okay, go back to the dinner table first," Dashell suggested, looking around at their location. "I'll go later. I don't want them to think we were talking together or anything…they might think we're conspiracizing." Éclair nodded, bowing. They headed their own ways, as if the conversation had never happened.

* * *

**Exemption or Bust: 8**_** Minutes Remaining**_

"YOUR exemption?" Piantissimo said, his voice in disbelief as he listened to Mimi talk her words. "I'm the one who's been fighting in this game, earning us money in every mission so far, and then YOU want it?"

"Well! I will not agree to anything else," Mimi spoke, her voice more defiant than ever. "I want the exemption, and that's that!"

Zess: _These children. They could not agree on anything. There was disagreement here, and disagreement there…and all out of greed! If this game took place twenty years ago, it would have been solved so quicky, spick and span._

"Well, it's absolutely rude that you are not having the thought of someone else getting the exemption," Zess said to Mimi, folding her arms. "So I ask you this, miss: who would you give the exemption to, besides yourself?" Mimi looked at her, stuck on words.

"I…I…well," she began. "I don't know. But I'd probably choose Tiny." Tiny looked at her, surprised.

"Thanks," Tiny said, with appreciation. "I mean, if that's how you feel. I don't want to argue or anything." Even though she didn't want to, Mimi felt a small sense of contentment.

"Snifit?" Zess asked him. Snifit didn't say anything for a second, then spoke.

"I would choose Tiny as well," he said. "She was going to get the exemption if I didn't find it in the excavator's bucket last episode. So she deserves it, as a player." Tiny's look became even more surprised.

"Well, thanks guys, I mean, it really-"

"Actually," Piantissimo spoke, jumping up. "I don't like this method at all, to be honest. I would like to go back to the straw method." There was an outburst of disbelief, and Zess stood up from her chair.

"Look, mister!" Zess shouted, hands on her hips. "You think you can run this show? Just because you're not being voted for doesn't mean you can change the rules!"

"I'm just suggesting," Piantissimo said, standing up as well in a defiant posture.

Snifit: _We were on a roll…and then Piantissimo jumps to change the voting method. We were really about to end the game…and now we were back on Square 1._

"I would just vote for no one to get it, to win the money," Snifit said, mostly to himself. "Then we wouldn't fight."

"Imagine," said Zess, laughing.

"We should just give it to Tiny," Snifit spoke to them, "because she probably has the majority of the votes anyway. Right?" Mimi stood up.

"Wait, but," Mimi said, her eyes becoming sad and pleading to the others. "I worked really, really hard to get to this point of the game! And it's not fair if I don't get a shot at the exemption, too. Can I have a chance at it, with Tiny as well?" Piantissimo faced her with incredulity.

"What work?! We're only at Episode 2!" Piantissimo shouted. "You don't deserve it over any of us!" Mimi glared at him even more.

"Fine, then we're resetting our votes!" Zess declared. Tiny rolled her eyes, a little disappointed. She had almost gotten it.

"You're just so mean, Piantissimo!" Mimi snapped, looking away from him. "If anyone gets the exemption, I hope it isn't you! In fact…I'm not voting for anyone here in this group besides me!"

"Oi vey," Snifit said, head shaking and hitting the table.

* * *

"Ah, so that's why Yoshi tried to win the final mission of the game," Bowser Jr. said out loud with thought. It was twenty minutes into dinner, and just half of the players had achieved their tasks already. It was approaching well into the last quarter of their dinner time, and until their game was over.

Bowser Jr: _All we had to do was play the remainder of the game cool. We just had to get Wario and Luvbi to not suspect anything out of the ordinary._

"Maybe the Mole this season won't sabotage the last mission of our season either…that's like the tradition or something," Bowser Jr. laughed, holding a spoon in his left hand.

"Watch out for that utensil," Wario said with a cough, looking at Bowser's Jr's hand twirl of the metal utensil. "You don't want it falling on the floor or anything." At this statement, all four players froze, shocked.

Dashell: _It was as if everyone stopped breathing. Wario's statement…was dead on to Bowser Jr's action. I knew we were in trouble. _

Éclair: _He was waving the spoon in the air, and that was unnecessary. It attracted unwanted attention that put us all in danger._

"Yeah," Bowser Jr. said, putting his spoon down. He stopped talking. After a few second, a waiter came out to serve them something: their fourth dish.

"Oh dear," Eclair said, seeing Wario still eyeing Bowser Jr. suspiciously. They needed a distraction.

"Oh my, I recognize this fourth dish!" Éclair sounded, looking at the plated. "Tuiles. They are French cookie desserts. This whole dinner is lovely with this French food." Dashell looked at her, and he knew what she was doing: changing the subject to save Wario's suspicion.

"Huh?" Wario said, looking at the food with interest.

"Hmm," Luvbi said to Eclair, interest as well. "Tell me more. I feel like the Waffle Kingdom has French origins. My kingdom has Greek origins."

"How interesting!" Dry Bones shouted, faking enthusiasm. Bowser Jr, Dry Bones, and Dashell all sighed with relief at Eclair's topic distraction. Dashell looked at Bowser Jr, his eyes telling him to hide his spoon.

Bowser Jr: _I felt kind of like a failure. I was the most excited in doing the mission, and now I was failing it. I wanted to succeed._

"Hey," Bowser Jr. said, speaking up again, his eyes lightening up. "Dry Bones has this awesome song that he created for this game!" Dry Bones choked on his food, coughing vigorously.

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, as Éclair covered her mouth. Dashell coughed, and this time, unintentionally.

Dry Bones: _Ahh….why on Earth did Bowser Jr. have to do that?_

"I don't think this is a good idea," Dashell muttered, his voice only audible to Bowser Jr. and himself.

"Oh?" Luvbi said, her eyes interested. "As a harpist, I do love music. Please sing it." Dry Bones glanced at her, faking a huge smile, rolled his eyes at Bowser Jr's direction, then looked back at her.

"Well Luvbi, it's rather silly of a song," Dry Bones began, looking bashful. "But it goes like this. Umm." He coughed.

"_Oh, look, a Mole I see! I don't know…_umm…_who he's gonna be,"_ Dry Bones began, standing up from his seat and giving the best performance he could. _"Hey ho! Down with the Mole!"_ The other players around him, Wario included, began to chuckle loudly with humor and enthusiasm at Dry Bones' dance and song. Even Luvbi's face was curled up in a smile.

"_So if you wanna be the Mole, there's one thing to do,_" Dry Bones sang, struggling with his words. "Umm…_just lose all the money, for me and you!_" At the end of this performance, the table of diners clapped. Sitting down, Bowser Jr. gave a wink to Dry Bones, who simply sat down in his chair, humbled and smiling with a bit of embarrassment. But he was content with his action.

"Well…this dinner had both free food and a show," Luvbi said, smiling. "I appreciate it very much. Oh!" A waiter came, and delivered a plate of food for the center of their luxurious table: a large plate of melon slices. It was their last dish of the night.

"We must enjoy this," Luvbi said in a pleased voice. "After all, this is our final dish of the dinner." The four players on the other side of her all exchanged glances: they knew that their dinner was about to finish.

* * *

**Exemption or Bust: 3**_** Minutes Remaining**_

"You're so stubborn!" Piantissimo said heatedly, folding his arms at the table. "Even I'm willing to vote for someone now!" The five of them at the table were in an argument more frenzied than ever before.

"I'm NOT voting for anyone except for myself," Mimi said defiantly, her head turned away defiantly. "It's all your fault! You made me angry, so I'm not voting for anyone else!"

Snifit: _That's the only way to guarantee a loss, if no one else was going to vote for you. Mimi...she had us in a lock._

Tiny: _If Piantissimo hadn't of interrupted me when I almost got the exemption, everything would have been solved by now. Maybe I'm just mad at him stealing my exemption chance, but regardless, he played the role of saboteur in this game...either unintentionally or intentionally._

"This is not working out," Zess sighed wearily, and she too looked like she was giving up. "If we're not going to decide, then we're simply not going to decide. I give up." Tiny looked at her, almost in disbelief.

"No, we have to keep trying," she said to Zess, and then turned to Mimi. "Mimi, if we just gave the exemption to you, would you take it?" Mimi looked surprised at the moment.

"Well, umm, I guess" she began. "Yes I would. I would take the exemption in this game, because then it means I won't be executed?"

"Want to just all give it to Mimi, and admit she's the best here?" Snifit said, wanting to reach a resolution.

"But then I'm not voting for her!" Piantissimo called out. "That's final. I'm not admitting such a thing. I am...the best here." Mimi shot an angry look at him.

"Then…then…" she stuttered. "I'm not voting for you too either, you little loser! And that's final!" Zess laughed, almost in a defeated but amused way, and she looked over at Tiny.

"Do you want to just call this a loss, then?" Zess said to her. Tiny didn't say anything.

* * *

"Oh, our dinner is scheduled to end in about five minutes!" Luvbi suddenly recalled, and she looked at the clock against the wall of the dining hall. "It is so peculiar that McHallyboo was so strict about time." Dashell looked over at Éclair hurriedly, who took a breath. She needed to fix her mission.

"Luvbi," Éclair began. "It is so funny that Toadette was the least suspected player, in the first season of…pardon me, but what was the official name of Season 1? It is rude to call it simply, 'the first season'". Dashell had to hide his smile and admiration.

Dashell: _Éclair…she nailed it. When she said that, I just knew that we were secure. We were kind of a good team...which is funny, considering I usually like to work alone in games._

"The Mole: Traitor Aboard," Luvbi said, repeating the name for the second time, but this time, fully. Éclair smiled, giving a sigh of relief.

"Yes, so Toadette was just very innocent," Éclair began, going off into another conversation. Dry Bones looked over at Bowser Jr, and saw that right beside him, next to the leg of his chair on the floor, was a metallic object: a spoon.

Bowser Jr: _My fork and spoon were on the floor. What else could go wrong? We were guaranteed money, and nobody, not even the Mole, could stop me this time. I wanted to prove to everyone one thing: that I, Bowser Jr, am the most sneaky but intelligent player to ever set foot in this game._

* * *

**Exemption or Bust: _30 seconds_**_** Remaining**_

The table was now silent. One player, in a purple mask and gloves folded along with his arms, dared not to look at everyone else on one side of the table. Another player sat across from him, young in age and pampered in attitude. Mimi's eyes were closed with persistence as well. Zess, the oldest player at table, broke the silence.

"Well, we all gotta admit one very important thing: that this mission was a failure," Zess spoke out to them, looking at them all. "I tried, very dearly and hard. I tried to get everyone to work together. Maybe if we knew each other all a little bit more, we would have gotten through this."

"Not in a chance," mumbled Piantissimo.

"Last chance to decide…?" Snifit said, in a tone of hopefulness to the group. Nobody said anything.

Snifit: _What could you do? We just couldn't come to a conclusion. It was human nature for this to happen…or, one of us just purposely wanted this to lose._

Tiny: _I was just…so mad. Just so mad that we couldn't get through such a simple mission. I was so weary from this game, because we kept on losing money left to right. And now…the agent just succeeded once again._

_**TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES. MISSION FAILED.**_

* * *

"One minute left," Bowser Jr said, fidgeting in his chair as he watched the clock tick its way down to the dinner's end.

"And Yoshi, what a guy," Wario said, shaking his head and remembering, as his story was ending for the dinner. "Moling everything up! He sabotaged almost every game, and nobody even realized it! Except for me, of course."

"What a pleasant meal, this was," Luvbi said, sipping from her wine glass and tilting it to them. "It was a pleasure to dine with you all."

"As with you, madam," Dashell said, looking his best and straightening up.

"And Wario, you as well," Dry Bones said, looking excited.

"To Agent's Elevation!"

"And Saboteur's Island." They all did a toast, picking up their own glasses of water and wine, and their cups clanged with unity. And then, a bell rang.

"Ladies, gentlemen," McHallyboo said, his presence entering into the majestic dining room. "The dinner…and the games…are over!"

* * *

"I…suspected." Luvbi smiled.

All details were divulged. McHallyboo had informed the players of the season past that the dinner was not all that innocent. Now knowing that a secret game played amidst their dinner, Wario and Luvbi could only think and laugh to themselves for what had just happened. The players were relieved as well, but tense too.

"Yep, it was hard to keep a secret," Dry Bones said, shrugging.

"That was your game, huh?" Piantissimo began. All nine players, two past players, and host were gathered in the ship's entrance room. It was the conclusion of the game.

Dashell: _So we hear that the other team couldn't decide a person to receive an exemption, and 20,000 coins is lost. Honesly...I was surprised and completely disappointed. Because it just didn't seem that hard. I feel like someone on that team definitely made sure that it didn't happen and that the money would be lost._

Mimi: _I am not taking the blame for our loss, because everyone was just...so...stubborn. Some people more than others._

"So, what was the mission that the diners had to play?" Zess asked the host, intrigued.

"Each player was assigned a specific action." McHallyboo said, facing Luvbi and Wario. "Now, you must guess what they were. If you guess incorrectly…the team succeeds. The game…is up to you guys." As all the players faced the host nervously, Wario and Luvbi nodded.

"But, however…I cannot continue this game fully," McHallyboo said suddenly, interrupting. "I must declare something that I have never declared in any of the seasons before."

"What?" Dashell spoke, looking at McHallyboo in the eyes. Al players on the respective team exchanged glances.

"Wait, what's going on?" Tiny Kong asked, looking confused as well. At McHallyboo's next line, all players gasped, and the game took a twist of a turn.

"One of you, during the game, had clearly and purposely cheated. To a large extent, too."

* * *

**The first time McHallyboo had ever had to announce that a player cheated? But just who was it? Who was the player who took that extra step?**

**Ah, and I am so happy to the people who have sent reviews! ALONG WITH THOSE WHO REVIEWED CHAPTER 7! I must thank you. And it was rude of me to not reply to you guys, so I will, right here, and right now! In three…two…one!**

* * *

**fiction idea****:** Ah, clever Mole hunting indeed! I liked how you looked back at the previous seasons, and correlated on that. I…cannot say anymore of you are right or wrong. And man, you made me remember that treacherous island from Season 2…I would have hated ending up on that, heh.

**FireKai****: **Suspicion ahoy was in Mission 3! I must say, there were some actions that stuck out, more than others. From camera triggers, to poor megaphone planning, to…other acts of sabotage that cannot go unnoticed xD Are they all the Mole, some might ask?

**Ice Empoleon:** Your comment about Diddy…hahaha! True, even in another virtual reality, and even if it's not even him, he still is a bit of a mess with missions. But he's a good guy. And your suspect deducing, man, I like the buildup before an episode ends, because I know your top 3 will come! I know, I know, you got Yoshi, but I plan to still get you this time heh. I look forward to them!

**FrittzyCrazy****:** Thank you for your comment! Ah, yes, I try my best on these cliffhangers yo xD. This chapter…I definitely got one. Didn't I? Didn't I?

**DarthBowser66****:** Ah, you are a fan of the series, I am so happy to have you review! And I must say, your review was very well written and I am happy to have read it : ) your suspicions are well respected and very WELL written out. I like your comparisons to old players; you comparing Zess to Kate from Season 1 US made me laugh so hard. I look so forward to your future reviews!

**Anonymous:** Thank you, anonymous! Now you know how their faces looked like when they were informed that Vivian saw the megaphone, right? ; )

**Moley Koopa****:** Yes, Luvbi's appearance was what I believe would close the circle, so I had to include it : ) well, besides the appearing of Vivian and Yoshi, of course! Oh man, your predictions on the missions…some of them were spot on! And you had some good points in the strategies you suggested too. Hopefully, things worked out in the games…that is, even though someone had cheated.

**Future Fantasy Writer****:** Haha! I must admit, I always have a custom of putting princesses in the game. I knew Season 1 had two itself, and Season 2 had Rosalina (who I count as a princess?) So the addition of Éclair just seemed so systematic. I'm glad you like her! I like to build characters of people who aren't really developed in games.

**Elemental Queen****: **Aww, thanks for the "creative" compliment! All my life, I've been spontaneously compliments for my creativity, be it in a story or in life. So I appreciate it so much : )

**sixthsense6****:** Ah yes, McHallyboo sure did credit to the actual real Mole series! I JUST REALIZED! Broke the 4th wall, I presume? : x doh! And about the camera, maybe it was an outside interference, or perhaps it just wasn't!

**FredtheMontyMole:** Yes, the website! : D I'm quite delighted about its existence too! It took me a (small) while to finally form, but in the end, I was happy how it turned out! Now The Mole: Agent's Elevation is official.

**Perianth****: **_In reply to your message:_ Ahh! thank you so much for being a long-time fan of my Mole series! It just means so much : ) yah know, I don't realize the names of those out there who read my stories but never have a chance to review, so when I discover new people, like you, it just makes me all pumped up and happy, hehe. Your suspicion on a certain player is well-written and spot on too! Can't say if you're right or wrong, hehe, but anyways, I thank you so much for your message to me!

* * *

**The Website is now updated even more! The player profiles...have now been completed.**

**And next chapter is…yep…the elimination of another person.**

**Who will be the Mole's 2nd victim? Who will be leaving the game forever? All will be revealed soon. Stay tuned for Episode 2's finish!**


	10. Termination Two

**The last part of Episode 2! Sorry for uploading it so late in the night! But please take your time to read, if you may : )**

**Just what happens? What concludes? The final parts of Episode 2 play out. And twists...are ahoy.**

* * *

**Episode 2 (FINAL PART)**

The players were in dazed silence.

"One of you didn't simply just try to cheat in a mission," the host continued, "but one of you, from our sources, tried to cheat beyond the boundaries of The Mole. To obtain…outside information." As everyone just looked at the host with edged eyes, McHallyboo turned to one of the players in front of him.

"And that player...was you," the host said, as all eyes turned to the pointed player player of the group with a sense of disbelief. "Bowser Jr." The player himself held a stunned look, almost matching those of the faces around him. Bowser Jr. simply stood in place, back at McHallyboo.

"What? I...no!" Bowser Jr. claimed, his voice in a stutter that gave everything away. "I swear, I didn't cheat! I would never!"

"Either you can tell us," McHallyboo said, taking a device out of his pocket that was handed to him by a producer just minutes ago, "or, the video camera can tell it instead." The players were all silent, and everyone in the room just cotinued to look at Bowser Jr. The player, after a second, let out a breath of defeat.

"Or I can do it," Wario said, stepping forwards and speaking. Everyone looked at him in confused silence.

"It was during the time I went into the corridor to use the restroom, when Bowser Jr. approached me. He offered me…well, a bribe." At that moment, Wario fished into his pocket to reveal a set of shiny coins. All players in the room, shocked, looked at it in disbelief. The odd and unbelievable story continued from Wario's mouth.

Tiny: _I couldn't believe it. He did a bribe? I just couldn't comprehend that someone would do that in our game...nor could I believe the story that was told to us all._

"One-hundred coins," Wario explained, "to get as much outside information about the game and give it to him. There was a special request from it." The accused player lightly growled, and stepped forwards to speak.

"I gave him the money," Bowser Jr. confessed, his head low and not looking at any of the other players, "to secretly meet up with Flurrie after Episode 2 was over. Then Wario would somehow…in any sort of method…relay the information back to me while I was still in the game. So…I would know who she voted for on the quiz. I wanted information from Flurrie, to get further." Everyone around him was silent. There were stares of incredulity from the people that surrounded him, and ocean waves could be heard from outside their boat due to the silence in the still air.

Piantissimo: _It was definitely a shock...to me. And knowing how close I was to Bowser Jr, this really was one of the last things I suspected to come from him. He helped me be a better person…but then this? Why did he do it?_

"Luckily," McHallyboo said, stepping in, "Wario took the right move as a veteran in this game and did not fall to the bait of the bribe. "Wario lightly grinned to the host.

"He informed me right away, after the dinner was over, on what had happened." The host turned to Bowser Jr.

"Cheating, in this game, is never tolerated," McHallyboo said to the player. "However…because no harm was done…I will spare the team a money pot subtraction. I will even spare you, Bowser Jr, your place in this game." In total, everyone seemed relieved, mostly at the first sentence. Bowser Jr. didn't say anything.

"I will, however, void your round in the game," the host continued. "So out of the three remaining rounds, two must have been successful."

"I just want to say," Bowser Jr. spoke, and he faced everyone in the room. "That I'm sorry for what I did. It was all in the heat of the moment, and I fell to temptation. So…I'm really sorry! I really am." As Bowser Jr. said his statement to them all, the players were confused and mixed: some of them either nodded, approval in their hearts and minds, but some of them were still in rejection for his act.

Mimi: _I just...can't believe at all...that he did that! Cheating is just a terrible thing. He went so far to try and cheat. I would have never, ever done that._

Éclair: _As much as we are to blame Bowser Jr, I believe that we should forgive. I could see that he struggled in making that decision and was truly sorry about it._

Bowser Jr: _I didn't even think the transaction was possible for Wario to give me outside information. The whole thing was out of fun and experimentation. But I admit now: it was wrong._

"True, yes, that was an awful act I cannot smile upon at all," Luvbi said, as Bowser Jr. looked down. But then, she continued, almost wisely.

"But…I believe we all had our moments of downfall We shall not judge others on mistakes. I had made many mistakes during my game in The Mole, so I am not one to speak." Wario looked at her, almost smiling.

"And I'm about to make a few right now," Wario said, prepping himself for the end of the game, "when I guess your actions completely wrong for this upcoming part of the mission." Everyone in the room smiled.

Dashell: _You know what? Maybe it was all an elaborate scheme. Bowser Jr. cheated to make the team penalized. It just can't be denied that his whole situation was so bizarre and just unreal. You never know._

"Well, let us continue back to our game, shall we?" McHallyboo said, and he fully faced Wario and Luvbi.

"Mission 4 has ended, and I must ask you two to please use all the knowledge you have to conclude this game. So please, right now, state your predictions for each player! The question is: what was their action?" He pointed to Dry Bones, as the player gulped.

"Hmm, Dry Bones," Wario said, thinking. He looked at the player closely, as if studying him.

"He did a little performance," Wario said in memory, as the four diners winced. "And it really was out in the open. Was it…to do a dance?" At the statement, the four dinner players seemed to relax a bit.

"That…is incorrect," McHallyboo told him, as Wario frowned with a laugh.

"Hmm." Taking in and studying everyone else's reaction, she took a few seconds of thinking before speaking once again.

"Was it perhaps to sing a song?" Luvbi said to them. Everyone looked defeated.

"Darn!" shouted Dry Bones, as a collective sigh rang through the air. "You got me! That was it. To sing a 15-second song." The group groaned, as Luvbi smiled sadly.

"I am very sorry, players," she told them. "But it is my job to foil you guys at this moment." McHallyboo laughed.

Tiny: _I think Dry Bones could have done a better job in his task. It seemed like he didn't even try to hide his actions. I would have at least thrown in a few red herrings , but he didn't even try that._

"That is zero for one," the host to the team. "Now, only Dashell and Éclair remain. If you both go undetected in guesses, then the money will be won. However, if just one of you is suspected…I must declare a loss for this game." Dashell and Éclair looked at each other, nodded, and looked back at the two players of Luvbi and Wario. It was up to them.

"We will start with Dashell," McHallyboo said, and attention was turned to him. Luvbi pondered for a second.

"I believe I know," she stated, as everyone held their breaths.

"You were a person who left to the restroom for a long amount of time," Luvbi said. "So I believe that was your action: to leave the room." Dashell sighed, shaking his head.

"Nope, that's not it," he informed her. Wario paused for a second. He looked at Dashell carefully.

"Then it must have been you and your antics and comments about the food," Wario said. "Or showing disgust towards it. Am I right?" As McHallyboo shook his head, the group cheered. Dashell looked at them, triumphant.

"With the action of coughing twenty times," McHallyboo said, winking at Dashell, "you indeed were able to solve the secret boundary and do it out of view of the others. It was all about listening to instructions. Well done." As the group clapped, Luvbi and Wario clapped as well, still happy despite their personal loss.

"Ah and that leaves one more person," said McHallyboo. All eyes, including Wario's and Luvbi's, turned to Éclair.

"You went to the restroom too," Wario said, and then he nodded. "Ya know, I'm gonna guess that. That your task was to use the restroom." Éclair shook her head, smiling a bit.

"That is incorrect," stated McHallyboo, and the room went silent. All eyes turned to the final guesser of their game, the final live obstacle that separated them from their money: Luvbi.

"Hmm." Luvbi looked at the player in front of her strongly. Feeling Luvbi's eyes on her, Éclair was silent.

Eclair: _She was a very clever player of Season 2. That is why she was able to make it to the final four in the previous gamed. For that reason...I was anxious._

Zess: _We completely flunked our mission, so we needed to succeed this one. But part of me said that in the Mole, you gotta accept losses! Things happen for a reason. So if you lose, you lose._

"You asked many questions, and that was noticed," Luvbi began, as Éclair looked down with lessened hope.

"So I believe, Éclair, that your task was to ask a certain number of questions," Luvbi stated. "Before dinner ended. That is my final answer." As Dashell shouted in success, Éclair gasped in realization: it was not the right answer.

"The team...has won!" McHallyboo said, as the group cheered. "It is unbelivable how even the smartest and most clever of individuals could not keep the team from winning this game." Luvbi smiled at everyone, and then to herself.

"Players, I grant the largest amount of money to be added in your game, as of yet: 25,000 coins." Everyone combined, the spirit was happier than it had been ever before aboard the ship of sabotage: their pot had nearly doubled.

**Team Pot**

_**55,000 COINS**_

"You know!" Wario shouted up. "We should have just lost the game on purpose! To make you guys win!" Everyone laughed, their feelings better. They had played a game with those of players in the past, and it was a rewarding experience.

"Well done, players," McHallyboo said. "But…" Everyone turned to him.

"Of course, we must not forget that twenty thousand potential coins was lost from the pot as well," McHallyboo added, and he faced the group of five. "Exemption or Bust was a loss. It was a game out of greed and decision-making, but in the end, it was not successful. I am sorry, players." Snifit looked to his left, and saw to his notice that both players, Piantissimo and Mimi, were nowhere standing near each other. To his right, he saw the sighed disappointments of Tiny Kong and Zess, who tried to fight for an agreement in the mission. His mind was trying to collect everything that happened an hour ago.

Snifit: _You just didn't know which one of us was it that destroyed the mission. Sure, we all contributed in some way to the downfall, but I believe that a player was trying from the very beginning to make sure the mission didn't go through. It could be any of us. Or...maybe the Mole tried to win the game. Who knows?_

Bowser Jr: _If the Mole just so happened to be one of those five, then I'm going to kick myself forever: it would have been so easy to pinpoint which player sabotaged that game, but I wasn't there to witness it. So now, I'm going to have to go and live on word of mouth…and now with me being an untrustworthy player in this game…it's gonna be hard._

Tiny: _You can't trust anyone. Piantissimo and Mimi did not let the game go through directly. But I know that Zess and Snifit were in my group as well, and the question is, did they say things as well that made the game not work? This whole game makes me as clueless as I was from the start._

"Let's end these mission," McHallyboo said, "by saying one thing: that tonight, there was deception and loss, but success and joy. Joy, we all must agree, that comes from having two special guests spend the night with us." Luvbi and Wario looked more than content, standing before the players.

"Thank you for having us," said Luvbi, and she bowed deeply to the people before her.

"You're gonna need luck," Wario said, and he gently smirked. McHallyboo smiled: it was Saboteur's Island, ending.

* * *

In the middle of the night, Bowser Jr. heard a knock on his door. The room he was in swayed back and forth, with the motion of the sea, and as he made his way groggily to the door, he saw something slipped under the door of the ship cabin: two white slips of paper.

Bowser Jr: _My reputation is dangerously gone in this game. I'm just going to have to wing it from now on and pretend nothing happened the night before. Either that, or just keep on playing this game step by step._

"Hmm?" he said, rubbing his eyes and bending down to pick it up. It was two pieces of paper, and as he read the text upon each piece, he realized they both held the same message.

"Ugh…so early…what's that?" came Dry Bones' voice, rising up tiredly from his own bed and looking curiously at Bowser Jr. "It's like 3 o'clock in the morning. What exactly is happening?"

"You can ask me anything, but I'm not sure myself," Bowser Jr. said, looking at the paper, then holding out one for Dry Bones to grab. "But I think this is for you…also." Dry Bones got out of his bed, and read the text carefully on the single page:

_List Below: Your 3 Least Favorite Players_

* * *

It was morning in Isle Delfino. It was a funny phrase that struck the host, because it was all too familiar to him. But this time around, it was with a different cast of people. A different group of people who differed so much in personality, and thought as well. A group of players who were ready to play in an unknown and new territory of uncertain, dangerous adventure. A cast that was ready discover the Mole among them, and to play the game.

But, it was also a group of players that, in the soon future, was about to decrease: one of them was leaving that very night at the execution.

"I honestly hate this time in the game, before an execution," Tiny said, sighing. "It's like Episode 1's nervousness all over again." She was lying on a beach chair, under a large parasol that protected her from the sun above her. It was Mimi and Zess who sat in their own chairs, by her side.

"Young girl, you keep on worrying, but do you think it will change anything?" Zess said to her, applying another layer of sunblock to herself. "If you get executed, you're executed. That's that! Worrying won't make it happen less. So let's just keep our chins up high!"

Tiny: _Ugh. I knew that if I didn't stop attacking myself, then my place in this game would be over. I had to focus on everything important._

Mimi: _I didn't get an exemption the last game, but honestly...I don't need an exemption. I'm sure I'm smart enough to make it at least a good way through!_

"Let's just all pretend we'll make it to Episode 2," Mimi said, sounding confident in her voice.

"Now, don't count your chickens THAT soon before they hatch," Zess warned. "You never know what's gonna happen in the game. I have to be honest: at this stage, it's still luck." Mimi did not know whether to believe Zess' statement or not.

"So who did you put on the list? The one asking…for your least three favorite players?" All girls received the same piece of paper, with the same message upon it that asked for their unfavored teammates.

"You think there's a money offer in it?" Mimi wondered out loud. "Like whoever we listed as our last favorite players would get money?" Zess shook her head.

"I'm suspecting that the person chosen and voted the most will be eliminated or something!" Zess laughed. Her two teammates looked at her, shocked.

"Oh my goodness," Mimi said, covering her mouth and hoping it wasn't true. "That would be awful!"

"If that was true, then don't worry," Zess said, laughing again, "because I didn't put any of your names on it." They smiled at her, relieved. The three females looked at the beach before them that they were at. On the other side of the beach, another group of players were in conversation.

"The guys, hmm," Tiny noticed, seeing their strong level of talk. "Is it just me, or does it seem like the males are going to dominate this game? There's more of them at the moment, with Flurrie gone. The worst thing we can have is another female eliminated. And we all know that just could happen.

"We just gotta stick together," Zess winked. "These guys aren't gonna control us. Where's the female pride?" They continued to watch the group of males, and listening from afar, one could correctly identity their conversation being one of a heated, arguemental debate.

* * *

"I want to know why you did that!" Piantissimo exclaimed out loud, looking at Bowser Jr. directly in the eye. "With Wario…and breaking the system…and taking advantage over us by cheating! Especially since I trusted you! Why?" It was dialogue about Bowser Jr's cheating incident from last night, and Bowser Jr. was on the spot. Dry Bones, standing between them, didn't know what to say at all. It was a difficult situation.

"Trusted me?" Bowser Jr. said, frowning and leaning against the stone wall, obviously much more calm. "Why would you trust anyone in this game, Piantissimo? This is the game of The Mole." Stopping his talking, he turned slowly and looked at the sun in the sky.

"Nobody should even consider giving anyone else their trust. Remember, not even this world is real. So just…just don't trust me anymore, Piantissimo!" The player turned around, heatedly. "I don't need your trust!"

"But I gave you my trust," Piantissimo said silently, looking at Bowser Jr. Bowser Jr. stopped, his face sad.

Bowser Jr: _It's kinda sad, how easily a friendship can fall apart. Piantissimo was the only person I trusted in this game to a strong amount. He was almost like me: he had an outside, tough exterior but a completely different interior. I guess a single, little action…just like the one I tried to do last night…could ruin a alliance between two people._

"So do you still like me as a player anymore, Piantissimo?" Bowser Jr asked him, turning around and wanting an answer from the masked man. Piantissimo didn't say anything.

"Hey guys, you know, we should still just all be friends?" Dry Bones said, trying to change the mood. "You two seem like the two best buds in this game. You should keep that!" Bowser Jr, after a small second, nodded with true thought. All of a sudden, someone came up from behind him.

"That was a very interesting and unique move," Snifit spoke up, his voice almost in a tone of admiration to Bowser Jr. Everyone looked at the player who had just arrived with surprise and confusion.

"I…just thought it was smart, how you tried to go around the boundaries of our game and everything," Snifit continued timidly to the others. "Contacting Flurrie and all and seeing who she voted for on the quiz. It was...smart." Bowser Jr. couldn't help but grin.

"Haha, well, thanks for that, Snifit," Bowser Jr. told him, coughing. "I'm lucky my soul is still even alive. I expected McHallyboo to slit my throat and leave me for dead after that happened." Dry Bones heavily nodded, breathing a breath of relief.

"It was risky," Dry Bones said, nodding. "But at least we're okay, right?" The players, perhaps in relief, chuckled as a group.

"I'm just fishy that one of you is the Mole, and right now, you're making us lose track of what's really important," spoke up Piantissimo's voice. Everyone became silent and turned to him. But instead, Piantissimo's face was different. It was no longer one of dejection.

"Let's just take Episode 3 like a new world," Piantissimo said casually, facing the others. "Let's just let everything go. Grudges, what not." He stuck out his hand to Bowser Jr.

"And you're still my friend…rule-breaking or not. If you weren't my friend, I don't think I'd even have one in this game. So thanks...bud." Bowser Jr. faced him, with a surprised grin. He shook his hand.

Bowser Jr: _If I were Piantissimo, I don't think I would have said the same thing. You know, even with the strain of everything, and even when everything was at its low…we were still able to make the right moves to fix it. For every obstacle that the Mole put to block our way…we were still able to tear it down._

Then, Piantissimo turned to Snifit, who turned to him, startled.

"Hey, sorry for being a jerk last night," Piantissimo said, sticking out his hand for Snifit to shake. After a small second of surprise, Snifit nodded, taking his hand.

* * *

That night, the second execution of the game would come. The players, most of them, were ready. But some were preparing in understandable fear. As the sunset approached, Éclair and Dashell walked down the other side of Isle Delfino, the sun setting and the episode entering its final moments.

"It is a very unfortunate thought, that one of us will be exiting this episode," Éclair said, her red dress illuminating in the sun as they walked down the beach.

"Nah," Dashell said, shaking his head with false disagreement. "It'd be fine with me if I was the one executed. Two episodes is good enough for me. I had a good adventure!" He laughed, kicking at the water which reached his feet.

"You are simply saying that to cover disappointment," Eclair said, smiling. Dashell looked at her with surprise.

Dashell: _Dang…Éclair's really good at studying minds, or I'm just a very readable person. Which is not a good thing in this game. At all._

"Well…yeah," Dashell said, dumbstruck. "In a way, I would be kinda disappointed to be executed this episode. But hey. What's done is done, if I do get executed." He pondered his sentence.

"Something strikes me," Éclair said, looking at him. "In Mission 3...your team, with the megaphone. I do not mean to insult, but…" Dashell turned to her.

"That was quite an abysmal plan, the one that was devised for Dry Bones to run for the megaphone. I believe whoever came up with that plan is the most suspicious and should not be trusted at all." Dashell stopped his walking.

"Was that your plan, or Bowser Jr's plan, for Dry Bones to grab the megaphone?" Éclair ask him. Dashell was silent for a second.

"That was Bowser Jr's plan," he said, looking straight ahead. "It was all his idea. He was the one who made that plan, for Dry Bones to run." Éclair nodded, and stepped towards the sea. Her dress glowing like the fire of the sun before her, she looked into the sunset.

"Execution…if I were executed, I would accept it," she said, looking at the sun. Dashell slowly walked up to her place, near the water of the ocean.

"You know, I would be a bit disappointed if you got executed as well…you really are the best and most wonderful player in this game," Dashell spoke, his eyes staring straight out at the sun as well. He did this to avoid the look that Éclair gave him after he had spoken his daring line.

* * *

"You know, this was the place that the players of Season 2 continuously ate at over and over and over again," McHallyboo informed them, grabbing a durian in his hands and displaying it to the others. "And they got tired of it." The nine players were in a restaurant that served delicious dinner food, durian juice, and unsurprisingly, durian chunks even for for dessert.

"Durian Café?" Bowser Jr. remembered. "That's the name of this place, right?"

"It was really fun eating with the others last night," Dry Bones saying, almost missing them. "This is nothing compared to that. I think that's the most fun dinner I'll ever eat here."

"Oh, hush hush," Zess said to him, and the group in total. "We'll all be having more adventures after this episode! And I'm excited to play them!" The players couldn't help but feel inspired by the old player's words: their game really did have more adventures to take part in, and so far, they had already played a chunk-full.

"Well, one of you won't," McHallyboo said, tapping his mouth with a napkin. "The second execution, like any other execution, will take one of you as a victim. You will no longer play in this world." They all continued to eat, reminded of the truth.

"Do you still have your papers?" McHallyboo reminded them, and everyone stopped eating: they knew exactly which important papers he was talking about.

"I would like you to hand them to me," he said, and one by one, folded papers began to make their way over to the host. When he had all nine, the host began reading them to himself, keeping them hidden from the others.

"Hey, so…what are they for anyway?" Tiny Kong asked. McHallyboo shrugged, laughing.

"Nothing really," he told them, reading it. "It's just a sociological experiment. I just want a sense of which players are more liked, and which aren't like as much. Then I'm matching that to the identity of the Mole." The players nodded a bit, wondering the results themselves.

"So," the host said, putting the papers into his pocket," I would like to remind you all that once again, the quiz is 10 questions, and will cover this episode. Whoever scores the lowest will be at risk of execution." As the dinner started approaching its end, it was time for the quiz of the game. Someone, on the land of the dolphins that very moment, was going home. Just like in their previous game.

An agent would be taking a player.

* * *

The quiz took place on the beach, and when the players made their way to the sand-fitted chair and table, they felt the sea breeze hit them with every question they had to answer a question. It was the second quiz of the game.

Positioning himself at the laptop, Bowser Jr's feet were in the sand as well as he answered the first question.

_**1. The Mole is:**_

_**-Male**_

_**-Female**_

Bowser Jr: _I have people with me and against me in this game right now. It's good to have both. Like they say, keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer._

Eclair took the time to look out at the ocean before taking her quiz. She then began to take it, question by question.

_**2. When did the Mole get off the boat when the boat had arrived at Delfino Plaza?**_

_**-First **_

_**-Second**_

_**-Third**_

_**-Fourth**_

_**-Fifth**_

_**-Sixth**_

_**-Seventh**_

_**-Eighth**_

_**-Ninth**_

Éclair: _It is always good to find someone to trust in this game. I am able to keep trust in some people here._

Piantissimo read his questions carefully, but speedily. He even answered questions at a pace that matched his overall tone and personality, and he did his best to be careful too.

_**3. Which team was the Mole on during Saboteur Island Sabotage?**_

_**-The Dunk Team**_

_**-The Megaphone Team**_

_**-The Camera Team**_

Piantissimo: _Is it not too obvious that Tiny, on her own camera, had a deleted photo? Sure, she could be telling the truth, but it is a perfect cover up to make it seem that it was TOO obvious to have been her. So I'm saying that she is still suspect._

When Tiny Kong sat down, she did it with nervousness, making sure that she clicked every question that she wanted to as she went through her quiz. Tiny Kong eyed her computer screen carefully, looking at Question 4.

_**4. How much money did the Mole individually earn for their team in Mission 3? **_

_**-0 coins**_

_**-1,000 coins**_

_**-2,000 coins**_

_**-Undetermined positive amount**_

Tiny Kong: _Zess is a player I think a lot of people aren't considering to be the Mole. You wouldn't really think she could be it. Why would they make the Mole the old lady? But in Mission 3, she couldn't snap the shutter on the camera...and that's what makes me suspect her just a bit._

Dashell took his seat in the chair. He clicked his answers, one by one. On Question 5, he hesitated.

_**5. As of far, has the Mole had the opportunity to earn an exemption?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Dashell: _Biggest suspect…probably Tiny or Dry Bones. Dry Bones has this personality that's just care-free, and he seems like this guy who's just playing friendly and excitedly in the game. But you know, it's a good cover-up if he was the Mole._

It was Snifit who took his seat next in the game. He was brought to the chair by the beach without a word. Even the waves beside him were louder than his small whispers, ones he made as he answered each question of the quiz.

_**6. Was the Mole invited to eat dinner with the veterans?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Snifit: _Mimi is a player we can't ignore. She has cost the game the most so far, individually. She cost 20,000 coins with her words in Exemption or Bust, and in Episode 1, she failed her jump. Has she been sabotaging so outwardly that no one would really think she was the Mole?_

Mimi made her way to the table, making sure her feet didn't get touched by any of the sand. She had a look of certainty on her face as she began to answer the questions of Quiz 2.

_**7. Did the Mole get up from their table at all, during their time duration of their assigned mission on the boat?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Mimi: _I'm still set on Piantissimo as the Mole, making his suspicious moves in the game Exemption or Bust. Not only did he try to go against me in the game, but it also did the second move of sabotage. And that is exactly what the Mole tries to do. So I'll be setting on him...for now._

Zess huffed, finishing each question and being forced to answer the next. If it weren't for the breeze of the outside wind, she would have given up the questionnaire, presumably just halfway.

_**8. What was the outcome of the Mole's mission, either Mission 5 or 6?**_

_**-Success**_

_**-Failure**_

Zess: _I'm looking back at the previous mission, where the others had to steal the megaphone. Now I heard from Dry Bones that the idea was Dashell's to make him run. Now…why did he do that? Why did he make such a bad plan, but not tell anyone later it was his idea? He's a smart fellow. But he's still suspicious._

Dry Bones sat down in his chair, and immediately began thinking as he began to take the quiz. He was up to Question 9.

_**What is the Mole's journal number through?**_

_**-Journals 1-3**_

_**-Journals 4-6**_

_**-Journals 7-10**_

Dry Bones: _Bowser Jr. cheating, I mean, maybe he did it on purpose, or maybe he really wanted to try and win the game. Either way, it sabotaged the team, so…could he be ultimately it? He seems to just know everything about this game too. Maybe...he is the actual Mole._

The tenth question that ended the quiz was an important one. It asked the question that needed to be known to continue in the game…or else execution would be just around the corner for them.

_**Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Bowser Jr.**_

_**-Dashell**_

_**-Dry Bones**_

_**-Éclair**_

_**-Mimi**_

_**-Piantissimo**_

_**-Snifit**_

_**-Tiny Kong**_

_**-Zess**_

* * *

It was a location too familiar for the host, but for the players, it was somewhere new. Despite being new to them, the location had already given them all an unsettling feeling. It was a feeling they all dreaded, but had to endure. Someone was soon leaving the game, as the second victim of the game of twists and turns. A game of the Mole.

"Hello, players." They were at the boathouse of Delfino Plaza, outside on its dock. "This is the exact place where Episode 2's execution of Saboteur's Island took. Since we are back here in this land…where else could be more appropriate?" The players, even though repulsed with nervousness, could not disagree: it was the most appropriate place they could be for the ceremony.

"I will enter your names, one by one," the host said, eyeing them all. "If I enter your name in, and the screen turns green, then you are safe. You move on to the third episode." He looked at the screen besides him, instead of the players.

"But if it turns red, that means you are the lowest scorer of the quiz, and you must go home as the second executed player." Everyone nodded. They knew that soon, somebody would be going home.

"No exemptions were earned this episode, so you are all eligible for elimination," the host added, and Piantissimo couldn't help but look at Mimi. Feeling his glance, Mimi shot a glare to Piantissimo's direction before looking back.

"Piantissimo," the host began, and the player immediately straightened up at his name being called. The host, now sitting in his seat, began entering his name in.

Piantissimo cleared his throat. He sat quietly, waiting for his fate.

**P-I-A-N-T-I-S-S-I-M-O**

…

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

"Phew." He tried to hide his sigh of relief, but it was still strong enough for the others to hear.

"Mimi, would you like to go next?" McHallyboo asked, as the player immediately had a look of fear terror, on her face. Her name and fate was about to be revealed.

**M-I-M-I**

**...**

…

…

…

…

**GREEN**

She gave out a large smile for the others to see.

"Bowser Jr," the host called next. Bowser Jr. faced the screen, a grin of edginess.

"Let's go," Bowser Jr. in a ready voice.

**B-O-W-S-E-R J-R**

…

…

…

…

…

**RED**

"What!" As the screen turned red for Bowser Jr, everyone was in collective shock. Each player saw the red screen ahead of them, and connected it to the player who it was for: Bowser Jr. It was not mistaken that he was the second victim of the game.

"Darn," was all the red-fated player said. Bowser Jr, though shocked as well, stood up from his seat. Piantissimo remained seated in the seat beside him, his face twisted in shock and sorrow.

Tiny Kong:_ One of the strongest and best players of this game…just left the game. This game was awful._

"Well, I guess I'm not trickier than the Mole," Bowser Jr. said, looking at the others before standing up. He walked over to the row of bags, grabbed it up, then shot a last wave and grin at the players.

"Bowser Jr…please follow me," McHallyboo said, as everyone watched the player leave and the host leave. It was a silence of disbelief. The waves, once again, conquered in sound.

* * *

"Bowser Jr, you are the victim of this execution," was the first words from the host to the player. Bowser Jr. snapped his fingers, looking regretful but slightly eager to say his final words.

"Man…I thought I had it!" Bowser Jr. said honestly and shaking his head. "I really thought I had it, McHallyboo. I wanted to conquer this game, and beat and solve everything about it." But then, he nodded his head, almost in acceptance.

"But," he said, looking sad a bit, "you never know that this game brings. Being an expert of this game, I know that something existed in it: unpredictability." McHallyboo nodded.

"Unpredictability," the host repeated. He looked at the player before him.

* * *

The players, not knowing why he was the second victim of the game, remembered Bowser Jr. together. Not as a person who fell to a cheating temptation in his final mission of the game, but for the great player he was.

"Man, if there were two words to describe that guy," Dashell said, being the first person to speak, "it was ambitious and awesome. And extremely clever."

"I am so confused…but sad to see him go!" Tiny Kong said, shaking her head. "I did not expect him to leave tonight." Everyone nodded in agreement, some of them feeling sadness among their shock.

"Why, he was a fun guy to play with," Zess T said with a nod, looking at the others and reminiscing. "In the Purchase of the Desert game, I've never seen someone sleep as soundly as him." Éclair and Mimi, who were at the scene as well, smiled themselves with memory.

_(flashback of Bowser Jr. waking up groggily from sleep in Mission 2) Flashback __**Bowser Jr:**_"Hey…hey guys, what are you all standing there for?" (Zess only holds in her chuckle)

* * *

"Actually, you are right...about unpredictability," said McHallyboo, and before Bowser Jr. could speak again, he held up a simple card into the air, one he had been keeping since the very previous dinner of that night. He showed it to him.

"Bowser Jr," the host began, as the player looked at him in confusion and slight alarm. "How much would you give to be back in this game? To be back…as a player?" Bowser Jr. faced the host with the widest eyes ever.

"That's…that's the card I filled out earlier, isn't it? That's my card." It was: on it, three names were pasted, ones that Bowser Jr. had written on the card earlier that day, in the very early mornings of his fateful day.

"On this paper," McHallyboo announced slyly, holding the card up for him to see completely and clearly, "are three names you had declared to be your least favorite players in this game." Bowser Jr. nodded, but he did not know what was in store.

"Now, these three are at risk," said the host silently, "because if you choose to, one of these people will be chosen to substitute you: substitute your place in death. Instead of you being executed tonight, a randomly selected player from your list of hated one…will take your place instead." Bowser Jr, listening to the host's words in stunned silence, understood completely.

"So…" Bowser Jr said, looking at the host carefully, "if I accept this offer, someone will take my place in execution, instead of myself?" McHallyboo only nodded, and Bowser Jr. eyed the card in his hand carefully without a word.

Bowser Jr: _This was unbelievable. I couldn't believe I was being offered this._

"Then McHallyboo," Bowser Jr began, nodding. "Please don't hate me for my decision. I feel like I have to do it." The host held the card up to Bowser Jr, shaking his head.

"No judgements. I'm the host," McHallyboo simply replied. "Make your choice." The player before him only nodded, and grabbed the card quickly from his hands.

"This is for the game…" Bowser Jr. looked at the slip of paper carefully, the three names shining out to him. One of these three people could substitute his place out of the game.

"Let's play this game how it's supposed to be played." Bowser Jr. declared in a loud voice, and with the strength of his two hands, he ripped the card in half. This time, it was McHallyboo's turn to be caught off guard.

"It is…ripped up," was all the host could utter. "Is that...a no, Bowser Jr?"

"Yep." Bowser Jr. looked at the host.

"I know what you're trying to do in this game," Bowser Jr said in a voice of reflection, almost accusingly to the host himself. "You want drama in this game. For people to fall apart. For everyone to fall apart. But this…" He let both halves of the card fall to the wooden ground below them.

"This isn't how the game works…and I'm keeping its sanctity," said Bowser Jr, looking at the ground below him and smiling. "I tried to ruin its sanctity when I cheated earlier in the game, but you know what, McHallyboo? I'm saving it. This game…is awesome. And I'm keeping it that way when I leave it."

* * *

"I think my favorite memory of Bowser Jr was during the beginning of our game," Mimi said, even speaking out herself about a player she never got along with. "I liked teasing him for being Bowser's son and already having a bad reputation!"

_(flashback of Bowser Jr, his arms folded and sitting among the players with lessened enthusiasm)_

"Man!" said Tiny. "And he ended the game liking it the most! Even more than me." Everyone else couldn't help but agree completely: it was a three-hundred sixty degree turn well made.

* * *

"It's so funny," Bowser Jr. said, thinking with a smile. "Just yesterday, I tried to rig the game. I tried to cheat it…really badly. Not gonna lie, it was bad." He looked back at the dock, the ones the players were still situated at a far distance away.

"But now I just turned down the offer that would ruin the game," Bowser Jr said, sounding triumphant." I kind of reversed my actions, didn't It?"

"You can almost say you redeemed yourself," McHallyboo said, with a small grin himself.

* * *

"He was totally the opposite though when he began to play…he played good," Dry Bones spoke, as everyone else nodded. Piantissimo, out of all people, nodded the heaviest. For the whole time after the red screen, he had remained silent. And now, he finally spoke

"He was…a great guy," was all Piantissimo could say. Just from his few words, anyone could know that he was downhearted in thought and feeling. Piantissimo sighed, one of sadness and disappointment.

"And...a friend gone."

* * *

"Bowser Jr, what was your favorite part of the game?" McHallyboo asked him.

"Well...besides everything..." The two of them made it closer to the end of Delfino Plaza's strip. Towards the end of the lighthouse's terra firma of land, strangely, was not a piece of land that would usually be existing in the real world of Isle Delfino. Instead, it was something that would shock and frighten anyone who ever bared witness to it. A large, dark orb of spiraling madness existed, and it gave the image that everything that would come in contact with it would be sucked in, to disappear from the game. Indeed, it would.

"You know, besides all the missions and all the cool things I did and tried to do," Bowser Jr said, thinking back, "it was truly just meeting everyone. Everyone is so awesome. And I have to be honest: the game wouldn't have been awesome without them." His eyes then turned to the ominous large darkness in front of him.

"I'm not going in there, am I?" Bowser shouted with disbelief. "What is that! Why are we walking this way, McHallyboo?! Take me back!" McHallyboo couldn't help but smile.

"This is unreal." Splashes of water, from ocean water flying in the air and being sucked into the orb, was splashing into their faces. It was a supernatural and amazing scene before them.

"Well, this is the way out of this game," the host said, and Bowser Jr. shook his head with excitement. He knew that very soon, he would be exiting this world. This fictional world of strewn truths and lies, a world which he had been immersed in for five days, was about to disappear, and now, he was leaving it. Bowser Jr. took one last look at the moon in the sky.

"I'm going to miss this fake world," he said, smiling, and giving a small sniff himself. "And now…now…I have to tell my sister than she made it farther than me!" He laughed with unfortunate humor.

"To the best lucks," said the host, stretching his hand out, and Bowser Jr. shook it heavily.

"Hasta la vista, McHallyboo." He was right on the edge of the land that separated from the mysterious empty air. Hands stretched to the sides, ready for a free-fall, he couldn't be reminded more of his jump from the first mission of the game. He closed his eyes and let go, and fell forwards. He was gone.

* * *

_OOMPH!_

Bowser Jr. landed roughly on the pavement ground, much to his surprise. He looked around a bit dazed, stumbling at first to keep his balance. His hand fell upon his suitcase, and he was balanced again. He looked around.

"That…moon," Bowser Jr. said, looking up. His eyes twinkled with excitement, and thought it had a tint of bittersweet sadness, he was overall relieved to see what was above him in the sky.

"It's…it's real."

* * *

**YES! The moon was real! And so was the execution of Bowser Jr… ToT **

…**This was a twist execution, but one that was turned down to save the game's play. He made a choice well done, the good executed fellow. THE QUESTION IS: would you have done with Bowser Jr. had done?**

**Quite a devastating disappearance, especially just for the game's well-being : o just how will the game fare from now on? Bowser Jr. is now gone…and the Mole lives on. The question is...who is the Mole?**

**Let me reply to you all!**

* * *

**FrittzyCrazy****:** Ah, it was! But surprisingly…the moment was not as troublesome as it could have been. McHallyboo must be a lenient host ; ]

**sixthsense6****:** (_checks Season 2 for similar Mission_) Ah, I cannot seem to find a similar challenge EXCEPT for perhaps the Bottle Mission in the final 5 of saboteur's Island? Or the final Dosser Auction game in the first Season. But maybe my memory is bad as well and there was similar challenge xD that is all I can remember though. Season 2 was originally gonna have an Exemption or Bust Game! It would have Luvbi and Wario being the strong voices of the group, perhaps even causing controversy….but maybe not even as much as Piantissimo or Mimi did in this one? x) I guess we'll never know.

**Elemental Queen****:** NO NO NO! Please state your suspects! And if you're wrong, it won't make me nervous at all ; ] haha, but even if you are right, I'd be totally happy to read your suspect words and reflections.

**fredthemontymole****: **Éclair using mind control….I almost DIED reading that statement. Lol, it scares me to even think a player was using witchcraft in this game D: Anyhow, ahh! I hope you get a good night's sleep of rest! Perhaps for next review? Hehe.

**Moley Koopa****:** Ah haha, your dislike for Piantissimo makes me chuckle heavily! Unfortunately, he is still here, but Snifit is still here as well! Yes yes, I create some players to be likable, and unlikable. But don't be surprised if things change for some players halfway!

**fiction idea****:** Yes, good job for correctly identifying Bowser Jr as the cheater = ] About the whole Bowser Jr's task of having to drop the utensils, opposed to simply putting them on the ground, Bowser Jr. actually DID drop his utensils. He would have passed his task completely…had he not been disqualified for cheating later lol.

**FireKai****:** Luvbi was really indeed one of the most unique players of Season 2, so I was happy just showing her back for whatever time she could : ] ah yes, good predicting on Bowser Jr! And luck on the exemption, it was almost proposed! I guess things just don't always work out when greed is in the air, unfortunately….

**J.C. Doggendoodle****:** I must say, that was the original storyline of Bowser Jr! He would have told Wario about the mission, thus rigging the entire thing. But, I felt like Bowser Jr's character was more conniving and clever than that. He wanted to do something extreme…and that he did!

**PJCanada****: **Ah, wonderful review! Yes yes, I am so glad you are now able to catch this 3rd season, and I'm able to hear your words for you : ] I absolutely loved your predictions descriptions! It really made my eyes open completely. Despite Bowser Jr. not making it to the end, you still had good points about all the rest of the players and I truly enjoyed them! I knew Bowser Jr. was leading into becoming a largely-centered player, so I knew his execution would surprise some viewers and readers! Poor guy…sniff…but thanks for that!

* * *

**Ah, and the journal entry of the Mole! It is now uploaded! : ) ah, call it a postcard from Isle Delfino itself.**

**Episode 3 is beginning….and in this episode, things will not be easy for the players at all. Please stay tuned for the next part of the adventure! Where will the players go next? Stay tuned!**


	11. An Unexpected Party

**Episode 3 begins…and what a party it will bring! **

**This episode will probably bring the most number of twists and turns than ever, and not just in this game!**

**Which one of the eight remaining players in this game is…the Mole?**

* * *

"Usually, people have to clean up after themselves," McHallyboo said, wiping and cleaning off the mess that the green barrel in the storage room had created. "But you…" He turned to the person beside him.

"Not you. Your job is to create messes and run away."

"It was a risky move, but I had succeeded," the Mole declared, looking down. Then the Mole looked up, thinking.

"McHallyboo, I've sabotaged extremely openly in this game, and nobody suspects me for it. It is a strange feeling." The Mole looked back at the previous episode's events.

"Piantissimo and his actions at dinner…I honestly don't know what to think about it," the Mole said, smiling. "It was a very suspicious act, don't you think? Do you think it was too suspicious?" McHallyboo grinned.

"That's up to you to decide," said the host, opening the door of the hidden garage that existed in Delfino Plaza's land. "Sabotage how you like."

"That, I will do." The Mole exited the door of the garage, and into the sun.

* * *

_**WHO IS…THE MOLE?**_

**_PLAYER: Dashell_**

_Surname__:_ Knot

_Birthday__:_ September 23

_Occupation__:_ Sports Agent

_**PLAYER: Dry Bones**_

_Surname:_ Secar

_Birthday__:_ July 5

_Occupation:_ Horticulturist

_**PLAYER: Eclair**_

_Surname:_ Choux

_Birthday__:_ June 30

_Occupation__:_ Patron/Pastry Maker

_**PLAYER: Il**_

_Surname:_ Piantissimo

_Birthday:_ January 2

_Occupation__:_ Competitive Athlete

_**PLAYER: Mimi**_

_Surname:_ Shipeshafter

_Birthday__:_ April 10

_Occupation:_ Maid

_**PLAYER: Snifit**_

_Surname__:_ Incognoto

_Birthday:_ December 2

_Occupation__:_ Police Officer

_**PLAYER: Tiny**_

_Surname:_ Kong

_Birthday:_ October 20

_Occupation:_ Retail Manager

_**PLAYER: Zess**_

_Surname:_ Toad

_Birthday:_ February 26

_Occupation:_ Chef

* * *

**EPISODE 3**

Eclair: _I believe that you must be a good person to survive in this game. It is difficult with the fact that everyone is trying to deceive each other and we must all not trust each other. But I believe it is very do-able and possible._

Dashell:_ Bowser Jr's gone, but you have to realize: when you rid the competition in this game, it makes it easier to make it to the end. So, part of me goes by that, but part of me actually kind of misses the guy who left._

Piantissimo: _I am…just so quite alone in this game. Why was execution fated on Bowser Jr? There were so many other possibilities for him that would have made him stay. Perhaps if he just switched one simple quiz answer…just one answer…he would, with no doubt, still be here._

"It's my fault," Piantissimo said, head against the wall of the lobby in Delfino Plaza's hotel. Mimi looked at him, rolling her eyes with a sigh.

Mimi: _Piantissimo is moping around for Bowser Jr. Heehee. I think in his heart, he's actually able to contain his feelings. Why, if he feels this way when every player leaves, he will be no more than a shriveled sponge!_

"Nah, don't feel that way!" Dry Bones said, who was sitting closest to Piantissimo in the lobby. "First of all, it's not your fault. Let your guilt out! Bowser Jr. is in a better place than us!"

"A better place," Mimi said, nodding her head and actually trying to make Piantissimo feel better and make less noise.

"You can say that again," Tiny said, sighing at the statement. "Look at us: we're just sitting here anxiously waiting for the next part of our game. We can't even think. This game is just so hard."

"Now if we keep acting negatively, we'll just picture everything negatively," Zess said up loud, pointing her finger at the players besides her. "Let's keep a good eye out for what we can do good from now on!"

Zess: _Episode 3…oh, my good achin' back. I'm extremely surprised that not only have I survived two execution, but that I have survived to the point...on a physical level._

Tiny: _Everyone here has survived two whole episodes with the Mole. So that just makes it easier for the Mole to manipulate us, because he or she knows EXACTLY how we play in this game. So they can control us...which is scary._

Standing a bit further from the rest in the lobby, Snifit just looked at everyone huddled together, waiting for McHallyboo's next statement.

Snifit: _Hmm. I feel that this episode is going to be strangely difficult. Like, McHallyboo will pull a bad one on us. I don't know why._

* * *

"Right here!" The players turned a corner in one of the hotel floors of Delfino Plaza's lodging building, and saw a large, immense slab of metal before them. It looked all too familiar from what they had encountered unexpectedly their last episode of the game. It was the elevator: one that existed in the real world and was free of electrical fabrication. It was their turn, once again, to move on with the Mole.

"This is not the lobby elevator," the host said, as everybody knew.

"Bring it on…Floor 3," Dashell's voice said, ready.

"It is so unimaginable that in this very spot…directly below us," Éclair said to the others, "we were in a desert hut, in a lobby of Yold Desert." Everyone looked down as well at the plush carpet, and the thought pondered in everyone's minds unnervingly. Indeed, just the floor below, they had taken the elevator to the island itself. Now, they were about to go somewhere else. Somewhere unknown, which though they knew would be fake, would be real to them like never before.

"It's sooo weird, just thinking about it," Mimi said, shuddering.

"Snifit, I'd like you to lead the way into the elevator," McHallyboo said, seeing the player who stood at the front of the crowd. Snifit pointed to himself with surprise, then waited in front of the large metal doors. He separated the players from the next floor.

Snifit: _Though honestly, even with respect to McHallyboo…I did not want to enter the elevator._

* * *

The elevator was about to reach the third floor. Dashell looked at the lights above the elevator doors' inside, a strange look in his eye as he looked at all seven lights in a row.

"Those lights seems to have caught your attention," Zess laughed, nudging Dashell's elbow teasingly. "You always look at those little lights, fella."

"They just don't seem right," was Dashell's reply to the chef with the spatula. Zess looked at him weirdly, then faced forwards with nonchalant manner.

"Nothing seems right," Zess laughed with amusement.

"I do not want to fall into sand, OR water this time," Mimi said in an unwilling tone of voice, waiting for the elevator doors to open. She was remembering last episode's start and transformation into Episode 2, much with distasteful feelings.

"I don't even WANT to feel the transformation!" Mimi whined, as the elevator doors finally arrived at floor Number 3 of the mysterious building with a loud _DING!_

"You can't get everything like you want it to be," Piantissimo huffed to her, and the doors opened. Darkness. Pure darkness littered the existence of the floor. It was a black existence that lay in front of them, and they felt the open air in front of their bodies.

"Ahem," McHallyboo said, from behind the crowd of players. "Please allow me to…switch everything on. And most of all: be ready to party." The doors closed behind him, and they were all in full darkness. They could only wait for their next world.

All of a sudden, the entire floor flashed before them and stunned their eyes, but it wasn't multiple, chaotic flashes that hit their minds and vision. It was almost like a single, white blaze stunned them all for no more than the smallest fraction of a second.

"What the…!" Within this brief flash, something large and colorful began to form before them, static flashing as it formed pixel by pixel. The players looked around them, and saw that even when the flash was gone, their surroundings were all white. It was an odd site and location they had undoubtedly arrived in; they were in the entrapment of a rectangular box.

"I'll be darned!" Zess said out loud, looking at her surroundings with wonder. "We're in some sort of white room!" Everyone else gasped, realizing the truth. They were confined.

"Where are we?" Tiny asked, looking perplexed around her and feeling the white wall besides her. It was the feeling of glass, to her wonder.

"Hmm," said Snifit silently, looking at the ceiling above him. It was nothing but white as well, and then he looked closely and saw small, faint cloud designs imprinted on the very walls that surrounded them from all sides. He gasped.

"Party," he whispered in realization. The crowd was huddled in the center, but McHallyboo, standing away from them, took in a breath, ready to greet them all to the new location they had arrived at.

"Where are we?!" was the unanimous question that was asked. The eight players were in the white room, and the host roared with laughter.

"Welcome to the beginning of your third episode, and what a Mario Party it is!" he said to them all, and his next sentence stunned the players. "You are all in this location, about to participate in some Mario Party minigames for your very first mission!"

"…what?" Everyone faced him, some of them having immediate faces of excitement and disbelief, while others were still mystified about the events that were about to occur for their team.

Mimi: _We were about to participate in Mario Party MINI-GAMES?_ _We arrived in a white room, and according to McHallyboo, it was the waiting room before a minigame. This was beyond my wildest imagination._

Tiny: _I was immediately scared: I didn't know whether each minigame would be worth 10 coins, or 10,000 coins. So this was nerve-wracking. _

Dry Bones:_ Why did I have to come in so far into the series, at Mario Party 7?! I could entered the series earlier, and maybe gotten more practice too._

"This game has put you in a location that's…nowhere seen in real life," McHallyboo said truthfully, sounding a little surprised himself.

"This is like the instruction screen room," Snifit said smartly. "Look." It was as if their floor was transparent glass, and they were standing on air. But they could see right through the see-through ground below them, and farther under them, a little cloud filled with words could be distinguished.

"Instr...uctions," Piantissimo said with interest, reading the words in the little cloud below them. "This is crazier than I thought!"

"And that television-like screen in front of you," McHallyboo said, pointing to the colorful screen of an unknown image floating in front of them, "is your next minigame." He faced the players.

"In this game, you will take turns, four players at a time, playing these wonderful games of the past," McHallyboo to the group of players. "While four of you play, the other four…will be giving in their predictions on how you will play. The money won will depend on these predictions. I will introduce everything once the first game begins."

_**MISSION 3: Mario Party**_** Madness**

"But first…choose your teams!"

"Well, praise the word 'choose!'," Zess snorted, looking to the others. "I want to be paired with people who are athletic and full of energy! We gotta balance our teams out." Everyone considered her line.

"Okay, then let's form groups based on a mixture of athletic and non-athletic," Dashell spoke up. "We should make teams that balance both in each group." Zess nodded.

"I'm not…the most athletic," Dry Bones spoke up, raising his hand. "Evidence from the megaphone game in Mission 3. I'll pair with the most athletic player." Dashell and Piantissimo both raised their hands.

"Hey, let me take him!" Piantissimo said, going to Dry Bones' side. "I want him!"

Dashell: _He just wanted an ego boost, so I let him take Dry Bones._

"Fine with me," Dashell said, stepping back unintentionally next to Eclair. They looked at each other.

"Oh, perhaps we should even out the teams?" Eclair decided. "I can go on Piantissimo's if you want."

"Nah, you can join mine...I don't…think it matters," Dashell said slowly. As they formed a team, Mimi nudged Tiny, winking.

"I KNEW it!" Mimi hissed, smiling from ear to ear. Tiny smiled, making a quick _hush _motion to her.

Mimi: _I'm only going to confess it here: I'm a bit jealous of the princess in this game. I wish MIMI had some sort of love flirtation in this game. Where's my big hunk o' Mole to help me through these games?_

"I'll go on Dashell's side too!" Mimi jumped up, going to their side as well. "He's a better captain, and we might be able to work together." Piantissimo's mouth dropped open.

Piantissimo: _All of a sudden, there were two separate teams and everyone wanted to be on Dashell's team. I felt...extremely insulted, understandably._

"I'll be on your team too…Dashell," Snifit spoke up, going to his side. "I want to be able to work things together, and I feel like you are a sufficient captain."

"Oh come on, really?" Piantissimo sulked, folding his arms and looking even more offended than before." Snifit's face changed, realizing his sentence.

"I did not mean it in that way," he said sorrily.

"Well, if Piantissimo is a track star, and Tiny Kong, who beats my height by tenfold, are going to be on my team," Zess said, smiling, "then take me in! I'm in for Team 2!" Zess and Tiny Kong looked appreciatively to each other as the second team of players were formed.

Snifit: _I didn't think our Team was the most athletic. But it was good, because we would balance each other out. _

Tiny: _I think the worst part of the game was that we didn't know if we would be WORKING together or against each other.__  
_

**Group 1:** Dashell, Mimi, Snifit, Éclair

**Group 2:** Piantissimo, Zess, Dry Bones, Tiny

"Okay, Group 1 will be playing first!" McHallyboo announced, facing the four players. "Your mini-game…that you will be going to take part in…is…" Everyone looked with full anticipation to the host.

"Mushroom Mixup!" Almost all faces looked unknown to the game title, but Snifit looked appalled.

"Mushrooming Mixup?" Mimi asked, flabbergasted. "I have never played a Mario Party game! Someone tell me what it means!"

"Mushrooms and colors," Snifit said in answer to her sentence. "I know the rules."

"How do you know?" Mimi asked him, looking at him suspiciously. Snifit shrugged.

"Before making an appearance in Mario Party 2, I had to study the previous games," Snifit said to her sincerely. "Plus, Mario Party 2 had a replica called Hexagon Heat." Everyone looked at him, but they still didn't know the rules of the game.

"You will be upon a plethora of colorful mushrooms," the host explained to them, pointing at the image in front of them. "A toad, on the side, will raise a flag. You must rush to that flag, because every other mushroom that is not that color…will fall!" Group 1 gasped, all except for Snifit.

"Then what happens to those who don't make it?" Mimi asked, wide-eyed.

"You fall in water…and lose," McHallyboo finished. Éclair sighed with a small smile on her face.

Éclair: _If I were to lose in this minigame...it will not be the first time I have been sent into a body of water. So I will be used to it.__  
_

"Sheesh, sounds just like a Mario Party," commented Dashell, looking at his teammates.

"Oh, and there's once more thing," McHallyboo said, a shine in his eye. "The player to win this minigame…will win a +1 on the next quiz." The players of Group 1 faced each other in excitement.

Dashell: _A plus one brings your score one point up on the quiz. One entire point. And that can save you tremendously on a quiz to no limit. _

Mimi: _I NEED that plus one. But am I really going to fight in this game and win it? It was so unfair, because everyone was just going to fight each other!_

"A plus 1 should give you all an incentive to win," McHallyboo said. "So good luck, all." He faced them all as a group.

"Are you ready?" he simply asked.

"What...ready for what?" Mimi asked, her face confused. Everyone seemed lost as well.

"Let the games begin," McHallyboo said, and there was a flash of light within the room. Everyone shouted, and ducked, but what the flash utility did was transport four players out of existence, and into another part of the unreal world. They were suddenly teleported to an area where a game of chaos and battle would take place: right into the minigame.

Mushroom Mix-Up was to begin.

* * *

"Where on…where are we!"

They were in a land of color and ocean. The water was dark-blue, and the first thing that hit all of their eyes were colors. Countless colors that littered the platforms around them and kept them high above the ocean floor was the world before them. They were standing in the center of a complex contraption of multiple platforms, and little spots on the ground made them know that they were on large mechanical objects, ones that were supposed to resemble mushrooms.

"Oh no…" Eclair gasped, stepping away from the black mushroom's edge they were standing on. The four of them were stricken with alarm.

"We are in the game!"

"Oh my gosh, why are we here?" Mimi squealed, closing her eyes and grabbing onto Snifit, who was equally alarmed.

"Hold on," Dashel said, not wanting to move a step himself. "If we all just stay still…nothing…will…hurt us." They stood in the center of the platforms, huddled together in fear and not wanting to move. One step, and they were close to the chance of falling a heavy, far distance into the water's body.

* * *

"Oh my sweet beans…there they are!" Zess hollered, pointing at the floating screen that existed before them. "On the mushrooms, all scared…look!" The players of Group 2 could see their teammates before them, now located in the screen they were witnessing.

"Sheesh, they look petrified," Dry Bones said, looking nervous as well himself. "I feel bad!" The four of them would soon witness the game to play.

"Group 2…" the host said, as the other team of players turned to him. "Before the game begins, you must predict which player will win. You have two guesses on which two will win the minigame. The money…depends on your betting." The players looked taken back.

"So fifty-fifty chance of winning?" Tiny asked, thinking.

"Unless we're smart with predicting," Zess pointed out.

"There will be a total of four minigames for this ENTIRE mission," McHallyboo told them. "For each correct prediction…I will give the team 10,000 coins." Everyone's eyes jumped up.

"Forty-thousand coins," Zess repeated, eyes shining to all of them. "Then let's do it! We need this."

"If you pick the winner correctly among your two guesses, then ten thousand coins will be earned right here!" Everyone contemplated for a second, facing each other.

"Well, we have to keep in mind how everyone will interact with each other," Tiny Kong began.

"I think Dashell or Snifit," Piantissimo spoke initially.

"Well, isn't that just straight-up sexist!" Zess said without hold back. "How about give one of the girls a chance at a win!" As Dry Bones nodded, Piantissimo hung his head.

Piantissimo: _I didn't agree at all, but seriously, I wasn't going to fight with a granny. I'd be the abuser in this debate._

"Then I'll say…between Mimi and Éclair…I would pick…" Zess said, beginning her guess.

"Mimi!" Dry Bones said, jumping. "She's way too aggressive. She beat me at jumping from a cliff, and fought verbally at a dinner table. So I would pick her. Éclair is too delicate, in my opinion." Everyone nodded in consideration.

"Huh, well, I agree on that," Zess said, enforcing the opinion. "You wouldn't picture a dainty princess fighting her way physically. Mimi...that girl can probably take down a man twice her size if she had too!"

Zess: _If there was a plus one in play...of course a player will be driven to do things they've never done before!_

"Okay, so let's pick one guy and one girl," Piantissimo began. "Hmm…we can maybe see that Dashell is the track star…"

"But then Snifit is the Mario-Party expert and actually KNOWS how this game works," Tiny said to him. "So I vote Snifit." Piantissimo hesitated.

"Hmm, it's a little iffy," Piantissimo voiced. "But..." He nodded, ending his hesitation.

"Sure. I think it's justified if we go for Snifit."

Tiny Kong: _If Snifit plays this game, and he DOESN'T win the minigame, then it's a big sabotage from him. He made a big point on how he was such an expert at the game beforehand, so we expected him to play well._

Zess: _I just wanted one of the females to win, because we keep on getting so pushed back in this game, and all the males are being captains and everything. So I honestly wanted Mimi to step up and show the guys who was boss._

"Final answers?"

"Mimi and Snifit," Zess said, sounding proud in her answer. They all faced the scene depicted on the scene, and waited for everything to begin. The unfitted party was about to begin.

* * *

_**START!**_

It was a sound that barked from nowhere. All four players on top of the black mushroom jumped, startled.

"What's…going on?" Mimi asked slowly. All of a sudden, Snifit's body began jumping up and down with terror.

"The toad!" he said, point off into the distance. "That toad!" A toad, into their distance, had raised an object into the air. And to their horror, they realized it was a flag with color: pink.

"Pink…what is the meaning?" Éclair shouted with fear. "What is pink?"

"We have to run!" exclaimed Snifit. "RUN RUN RUN!" All four players immediately turned behind them, where they saw the ground of a pink mushroom before them. Suddenly, the floor began to shake, and Snifit was the first to hop onto the pink mushroom. The rest were panick-stricken.

"The floor is dropping!" Mimi screamed, stepping back from pink mushroom. "What do we do!"

Dashell: _The game was starting. And we only had...three seconds to think. _

"Hop here, hop here!" Snifit hollered to the others, as the other three had to keep their balance on the shaking floor.

"Wait! Snifit!" Dashell ran to the pink mushroom, leaping lightly onto its base as he made it to safely.

"Oh!" Éclair jumped as well, helped by both teammates of Dashell and Snifit onto the pink mushroom as she struggled on top of it with alarm.

"AH!" screamed Mimi, jumping up as well and grabbing onto the edge of the pink mushroom's platform with one hand. Dashell went out to grab her hand.

"Grab me!" Mimi screamed, her voice echoing in the fictional ocean world.

"I got-" he began, but it was too late, as Mimi fell the far distance into the water below. With a screech, she hit the water's bottom, and her body immediately disappeared like an electronic glitch in a game.

"AH!" With her last audible sound, she was transported out of the minigame's arena. A player was eliminated.

"Mimi!" Éclair cried, looking over the edge of the pink mushroom. "Where has she disappeared to?"

"She…lost this mini-game," Snifit said, not able to choose any better words for what had occurred. Mimi, fallen to the water below, was the first victim of Mushroom-Mixup.

* * *

"AWW man!" There were shouts of disbelief and defeat from the group of players back at the base. Piantissimo looked livid, and Dry Bones scratched his head.

"I thought she would win," Dry Bones said, looking at the screen, dumbfounded. "I...don't know what to say." The four of them were struck with overall surprise.

"I thought so as well," Zess said, her voice incredulity herself.

"Well, now we lost!" Piantissimo said, folding his arms. "Zess, you wanted a female. And Dry Bones, you wanted to choose Mimi. And what a surprise: she loses first." As Dry Bones shot him an innocent look, Zess put her hands on her hips.

Zess: _Now, I thought Mimi would make it further. It seemed like she was not trying to win the plus one at all!__ She was so adamant about getting the plus one earlier._

Piantissimo: _I honestly wouldn't have picked Mimi to win the game. I think that was a bad move. Just utter foolishness with that choice. We could only hope for Snifit._

* * *

"Green!"

The toad raised another flag. Dashell grabbed Éclair by the hand, leading them towards the green mushroom on the other side of the course. Snifit followed behind, looking at them curiously.

"Hmm, I wonder which one of us will win the plus one," he wondered out loud.

Snifit: _Why was Dashell helping Éclair in the game? It was a competitive game, fighting for a plus one._ _And he was risking a loss for a competitor._

The platforms began to descend rapidly, and the three of them made it safely to their second mushroom, still not used to the movements of their game.

"I wonder if the speed will get faster," Dashell said, his eyes filled with alarm. The game's intensity was increasing even too much for him.

"It will," said Snifit, watching the rest of the mushrooms rise once again. This time, the toad in the area raised his flag, much swifter than his previous times, almost as if taking in consideration the statement between the players.

"Brown!" The players moved their way to the dark-shaded mushroom, and began their conversation again.

"Perhaps we must work together to beat this game," Éclair thought, "we can make it to the end? There must be a finish in this game!" Snifit shook his head.

"There is no ending. This game's end is if the others lose. They want a victor…and these mushrooms will be our fate." With another signal, they all ran for a red mushroom, their minds and fear racing.

* * *

"I think we should have picked Dashell," Piantissimo said with second thought, looking over at McHallyboo.

Piantissimo: _I didn't like our betss at all. Seeing the game, I wanted to heavily reconsider our choices._

"Are we given persmission to switch a bet?" Piantissimo question out loud eagerly. McHallyboo only shook his head with a heavy "no". Piantissimo's face showed heavy disappointment at the host's answer.

"Why do you want to switch?" Zess said, looking excitedly at the screen and pointing to it. "Look, look!" She was pointing out a tragic scene that was before them in the game.

* * *

"Ahh!" Dashell made a sound as he slipped, caused by the sudden descending of the mushroom platforms all three of them stood upon. But as Snifit and Éclair safely made it to the orange mushroom before them, Dashell was too slow to come up to his feet. By the time he looked up, it was too late.

"Do your best! Do your best!" came his shouts, his boy situated on the sinking black mushroom as he was brought lower and lower from the other two. "Ec-" Suddenly, with the hit of water, his body vanished into a fit of static.

"Dashell!" Éclair cried, reaching out to him. Snifit stood by her, a blank face.

"Hmm…I guess…it's up to us?" the player said, unsure of the results himself. "I don't know who will be the winner." The mushrooms began to rise again, and to both of their horror, at a speed faster than ever before: the game was reaching its death mode.

"If we fight to the end, then you must promise me," Eclair said, as the platforms began to rise again. "We must keep it fair: none of us will push each other into water. Its not like it is new to us." She smiled, amidst their stressful game, and Snifit, behind his mask, smiled with realized memory as well.

"It just sounds all too familiar," Snifit sounded with a nod, and he laughed. "If I couldn't push Yoshi into the water...I have no courage in pushing you."

"Yellow!" And in an instant, their faces both turned to fear and unsteadiness.

* * *

"Dark-green!" The pace was getting slowly faster. Everyone in the waiting room of the world was watching them with anxious eyes, as color after color was called one by one.

"Eclair tripped! She was so close to getting into the water!" It was as if they were watching a sports show, and appropriately, it was being bet on with money.

"Snifit is slowing down!" Dry Bones said nervously, covering his eyes. "I knew we shouldn't have picked him!" The pace of the flags were getting faster, and as the players were forced to run faster each time, Team 2 could only watch, the man in red being their chosen savior for the money.

"As mean as it sounds…I hope Éclair loses," Tiny Kong said, watching the screen nervously. "I know she won't win a plus one, but…"

"What if she gets executed this episode, because we didn't want her to win a plus one?" Zess said, taking another view into point. "Wouldn't you feel bad?" Tiny Kong didn't know what to say.

Tiny Kong: _It was very intense, the whole competition of the mini-game being over a plus one. I was terrified on how OUR game was going to play out after this one. It was going to be somewhere along the levels of a nightmare._

* * *

"Oh no…it is too fast!" Éclair cried, her feet switching direction right after another flag had been lowered. "I will fall soon!" Snifit, though slightly faster, was having trouble himself.

"I cannot do this!" he proclaimed himself. "I am having trouble too!" A green flag was raised. Éclair jumped from the black platform, and so did Snifit.

He almost got his footing, but then at an unexpected second, he slipped. His foot landed between a stationary platform and a falling one, and with his body being of such small size, Snifit slipped through the formed crack. All of a sudden, he had lost the game.

"Oh-" Snifit's sentence was not even finished due to his vanish from the minigame. Éclair, stunned upon the green mushroom and the only one upon it, was the winner. The game was lost.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Dry Bones said, throwing down the remote control in his hand almost as if it was a video-game controller. "Éclair! Why did you win? Snifit! Why did you loseee?" Zess patted his back.

"There there! We have three more tries to earn as much money as we can," the old lady comforted him, laughing a bit. Piantissimo and Tiny Kong didn't look happy one bit themselves.

"You see, now you know why the females were worth voting for," Zess said to them all, pointing to the happy Éclair aboard the last-standing mushroom on the screen.

Tiny: _I can't believe we went through with Mimi winning, and not for Éclair. Our bets were simply messed up._

Dry Bones: _Now that I think of it, Éclair was the one last episode who fought the most to push Yoshi into the water, and SNIFIT was the one who chickened out. Man. If only we remembered that earlier, we could have been smarter in our guesses._

"Ugh, Snifit should have won," Tiny said, downhearted.

* * *

It was just a few seconds later when the players of the other team appeared. They were dazed, teleported back into view of everyone else, and away from the fungi game they had just mercilessly partaken in.

"Congratulations!" McHallyboo said, going up to them and shaking the hands of the stunned individuals, who had been teleported before their eyes and minds. "You just all survived your first minigame."

"It was NOT fun," Mimi said, brushing off her pants and standing up with a shake of her head. "Not fun at all!"

Mimi: _Maybe if they even warned us that one of the mushroom was moving, then I would have had a chance to win. But no. I fell before someone could even say the word, "Unfair"._

"If you won the game, you would have probably said differently," Piantissimo said to her, as she shot a look of disparity at him. McHallyboo cleared his throat, and approached the arrived players.

"When asked on who they had wanted to bet for to win the game, the team bet on…either Snifit and Mimi to win the game," the host revealed, as the team who had just played faced the other with surprise.

"Meeee?" Mimi exclaimed, even surprised herself.

"Oh…well, I'm sorry I let the team down," was Snifit's sentence in reply to the host's declaration.

Dashell: _Not to sound conceited...but Snifit and Mimi? Those were the last two players I would have expected to win the game. I would have chosen me...but you know...nah, I'm not the best or an ex-track star or anything._

Tiny: _I was completely disappointed that Snifit didn't win. He made such a big announcement of being the expert of the game, so I can't ignore that._

"Éclair, as the winner of the game, you win a plus one," the host said, and he took out a valuable green coin from his pocket that had never before been seen on the show. Eclair's hands grabbed the plus one preciously into her hands, as everyone watched.

Eclair: _It was a gift of relief to be given that in this game. I would not let it be to waste._

"Oh…my." As he handed it to the thankful princess, everyone's eyes could not help but gleam with both jealousy and anticipation.

Zess: _In the next minigame, I know that I'm not holding back to win that thing. I don't care if I have to battle someone to a pulp and mix them in a blender, I'm getting it!_

"Well, I hope our next game…is less scary than having to plummet into water from mushrooms," Dry Bones said, his voice sounding both hopeful and not hopeful simultaneously.

"You will soon see," McHallyboo said, and a smile on his face made the players of Group 2 know that having a feeling of dread was an appropriate emotion.

"Ready?" The host raised his hand in the air. Tiny Kong, Zess, Dry Bones, and Piantissimo could only look at each other, then back at him.

"Let us...BEGIN!" Suddenly, with a flash, they were whisked, and the game they were about to play was about to become a reality for them.

They were whisked into Minigame 2's unknown land. The second party was about to start.

* * *

They were in another land.

"AH! We weren't even warned that we were transporting!" Dry Bones cried, his eyes trying to adjust to the new land around them. Even before the entire world around them could be determined, the first thing they noticed was a fiery red.

Tiny: _I couldn't feel anything. The temperature was so hot. It was as if we were put somewhere that we weren't supposed to go._

"My eyes…" Tiny said, rubbing them and looking around her. The feeling of heat was sweltering, and she looked across from her, at Zess.

"Oh, boy." Her face was one of terrified excitement.

Zess: _Could you compare it to an oven? Cause I sure could at that very moment! I felt like we were seconds away from being crisp. But...where exactly were we?_

"This is not pleasant either," Piantissimo admitted, his voice full of dread as well. Below them, they stood on blocks, and each one was about to move away, leaving them to a fiery fate that gave all of them chills.

_**START!**_ Came the voice that signified the start of their game, and the four players of the Mole were forced to play their game of Lava Tile Isle.

* * *

**Any Mario Party 2 players? Lava Tile Isle? That game always gave me a sickly feeling : ] and hopefully the players feel the same as well! **

**This mission was a fun one, and Im happy that I was able to put it in such a setting such as Agent's Elevation. Almost ANYTHING can be created. And that is what McHallyboo did for the others ; ) oh, and think about it: McHallyboo is a Mario Party man himself.**

**Ah, to see your wonderful reviews after Bowser Jr's execution!**

* * *

**fredthemontymole: **Haha, a mid-afternoon review! I am happy to hear that : ] AH YES. About Snifit's occupation coming from Mario Party 2's Spaceland board map is actually the very truth! Good eye! He was indeed a police officer on patrol in that little world, and now, that is him in real life, in this very game itself. And is it not cool that the players actually ARE right now in the world of Mario Party? Anyways, your suspicions had good points that I took in, and I applaud those too much.

**Perianth:** Thank you yourself for the formal message reply! : ] haha, sorry for lazying it out last time. Your comment about Bowser Jr leaving with dignitity: yes! I'm glad you saw that. Because I wanted both him and Flurrie to leave on good notes. Though they did not make it far into the Mole's world, they still left their marks in some way. Hopefully the next executed can do that too? x)

**Moley Koopa:** Ah, I believe Piantissimo is one of those guys who your feelings about them just change! I did that on purpose. I'm not even sure how I feel about him himself. I hate him one second and like him the other D: Isn't that shocking, knowing Im the author? Your predictions on executions, much interesting indeed! And your final statement about not taking the card...I guess that makes you a sir of noble values : ]

**sixthsense6: **Ah, being friends with the Mole: what a danger it can be! But we know Bowser Jr. isn't it, heh. Isn't it a scary thing? When in the game of The Mole, it's almost human nature to being mutual and happy connections with people. And that...could be your downfall.

**FireKai: **Wow...respect and bow down to your honest answer to the "Bowser Jr Temptation Offer" question! Yes yes, it is hard to admit that you would actually do it yourself...but guess what FireKai? I probably would have done it myself if I was in the game. : ) Hehe, such guilt, but you said in spot-on: the game is not a popularity game. And as bad as that fact is, it's also a gift in a game like "The Mole". You dont need friends to win (though in the end, I would like to make true friends with the players at the finale xD just to make sure I don't hold forever-lasting grudges with people lol)

**book-reader233: **Such interesting view points! Your theories were much appreciated in reading and opened my eyes : ] I really enjoy reading people's opinions and lists of suspects. They make me giddy, sometimes happy, sometimes frightened, and just insighted to know how each player plays off to peoples' eyes. Anyways! To know and be reminded that Flurrie was your 2nd suspect makes me kind of happy! xD ugh, how for me to say that, but what I'm saying is: I'm happy she was a suspect before she was eliminated first from the game. I feel like that gives a player an honor, if they were at least slightly suspicious heh. Anyways, thank you for your review!

**PJCanada : **About Bowser Jr. redeeming himself, and you saying he "left for the better"...SNIFF! MY FEELS! Haha, I'm glad you think that. In a way, I do too o.O I almost made it seem like it was his time to leave, now that I look back at it heh. Ah, it is a pleasure to hear your words, in your last review! And that...you'll tell more people about my story?! -dies of flattery- Ah, I look more forward to your future reviews, good sir! xD

**Shilo Burbans:** AHHHH where have you been? It is good to see you, "young one" hehe. How's life? Summer? Why do you tease me with saying, "I found a clue, but it reveals too much?" JUST TELL IT! I would punch you, but I miss you too much and Im happy to see you : ] Also, I love your phrase of "I'll be keeping an eye out for..." because yep, that's what I do whenever I watch the show of the Mole in real life, lol. Anyways, glad to see youuuu!

**The Smart One 64:** I could write an ESSAY for your superbastic review of awesomistic words. But I won't do that. I WILL give you a very long reply instead though! Damn...those suspicion listings about each player got me more and more excited/terrified/open-eyed than ever. I take those with happy glee and I can pretty much SEE from your point of view on your suspicions. I'm in your body now, looking at who the Mole is...

The truth is, you found very good points and clues in your review (why was I not surprised when I saw a huge listing of clues? You're quite experted in them :D) Yes yus, there are many clues scattered in the story, and I wont say if any of the ones you found were legit or not. BUT. It was a pleasure seeing your clue-hunting again! I missed ya! Thanks for coming back for the end of the episode hehe, it made me happy seeing yo name again. Oh...and that thing about McHallyboo...I answered it at the end of Chapter 4! Gosh -slap- haha, but I'll say it at the end of this page. To make official to everyone. Oh by the way, I owe you a reply to your PM heh. The PM of "WHY ARE YOU STALKING DEM POOR MOLE PLAYERS IN REAL LIFE?"

* * *

All right, I just wanted to establish this answer formally, since it's probably asked by many of you in your minds xP. THE ORIGINS OF MCHALLYBOO'S NAME AND WHY IT IS SPELLED DIFFERENTLY FROM THE REAL 'MCBALLYHOO'! _(from the end of Chapter 4)_

_So being quite not as intelligent in my first series, I did not bother looking up more on the host's name spelling, and went ahead with claiming him as "McHallyboo". Then I realized that not only was his name McBallyboo, the MC part was a completely different name title. So! I just kept with "McHallyboo", because of two reasons. Reason 1: I was already within Episode 2 of my season when I realized this error. And second: at this point. I consider McHallyboo as a DIFFERENT dimension of the actual Mc Ballyhoo. Except this character dedicates his time to hosting awesome Mole games. So he's like, a virtual dimension of the 'McHallyboo'"_

If that did not make sense to you...I don't blame you. I don't know what else will xD

* * *

**Anyways, that was a long but very well-worth "after-chapter" length of replies and answers. I actuallty love writing them! **

**Anyways, watch out for the next part of Episode 3! ****Just how will the players fare?! Who will be bet on? And just what next minigames will be in store?** And perhaps a video surprise to come with it too.


	12. Choose Your Minigame

**Ahh! Thanks guys for the wonderful support last episode beginning. I thank you so much for your words :) I feel like when Episode 3 hits in a Mole game, that's when it really starts to get interesting...and scary : o**

**Anyways, CAUTION! CHILDHOOD TRIGGER ALERT! This chapter may stir some of your childhood memories, if you have ever been a Mario Party player. But in the end, it's quite a delight : 3**

**Also, feel free to youtube a minigame first when its name comes up! : D Or, if you've never seen the game before, check it out to get a better image of it before the game begins! Sadly, the players cannot do this themselves. Not only that, but it would be cheating.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

**Episode 3 (Part 2)**

"Lava…Tile Isle?" stuttered Snifit, seeing the players thrust onto the land of stationary, yet soon-to-be-moving blocks on the screen. McHallyboo nodded.

"That…that is a hard game."

"It looks atrocious!" Even though the other three had never seen the minigame before, they all nodded and agreed: the sight of lava that surrounded the arena gave them all unpleasant feelings and quivers, and on top of that, happy relief that they had played Mushroom-Mixup instead.

"I was always particularly fond of Hot Rope Jump," Dashell said, shrugging and looking at the screen too. "Wish I could see that in person for once."

"I believe the bottom line is," McHallyboo told them, "is that you four must bet VERY very soon which two players have the highest probability of winning the game. If you bet correctly on the winner, I will add ten-thousand coins to the team pot."

"But…what is the game?" Éclair asked the host.

"They basically have to fight each other off into the lava, upon large moving tiles of lava. Until a winner stands," the host elaborated, and at his sentence, the players were appalled.

"That's terrible!" Mimi voiced out, looking shocked to the maximum in her face. "Who would design such a thing? Poor them."

"This time, it wasn't me who thought this up," McHallyboo said, looking blameless. "So. I'll give you guys around twenty to thirty seconds to decide your bets." They all faced each other.

Dashell: _We all had different opinions, so I was understandably unsure how well we would agree as a team._

"I think we gotta agree on one thing: Piantissimo probably stands the greatest chance of winning this," Dashell told them, looking at the others for consent. Mimi folded her arms.

"Well, fine," she sounded. "Even though I HATE to admit it, he probably might be the winner, pushing the others off and being a big meanie." Everyone nodded in unison.

"How about Dry Bones?" Éclair though. "He has been in a Mario Party before, and is probably used to such...odd environments."

"Yes, but…I'd be cautious choosing him," Snifit said, shaking his head. "He's a good fellow…but he might crack under pressure. And I wouldn't picture him exactly…winning a game. Everyone thought again for a ten-second silence, until someone spoke up again.

"Hey, I think I know who to choose," Snifit spoke silently. "Zess." All three players shot their stunned looks back at him.

"Zess? Why Zess?!" Mimi exclaimed. "But she's….she's…."

"Older than us?" Eclair said, shaking her head. "It is of no significance. If anyone has the most gusto and will to win in that group…it is probably Zess. And I would choose her too, Snifit." McHallyboo began counting his fingers down.

"Well," Dashell said, seeming skeptical in their choices and wide eyes, "we will...go with that. I feel like that's our group pitch in on bets." He faced McHallyboo again.

"McHallyboo…we bet Piantissimo and Zess." Mimi seemed to shudder in fear.

* * *

It was seconds away from beginning. A burst of lava came out of the air from Tiny's side, making her step away from it.

"No way are we going to play this," Tiny Kong gasped, looking around at her surroundings with panic. Lava surrounded all four players on all sides, and the rules were known to all of them: they had to fight to the end.

"Wait, so we're allowed to punch each other?" whimpered Dry Bones. "Who designed this game?!" His feet were planted directly on the platform of the stone block before him.

"Don't look at me," Zess chortled, keeping her balance for the game's beginning.

Zess: _Oh dear. Something was telling me that the future didn't hold well at all for me. Maybe since I was standing high above lava!_

Dry Bones: _Things were gonna get bad. The game didn't even start, and I was already scared for my life! Why couldn't we have gotten Group 1's minigame? All they did was hop above water!_

"And the blocks move, according to the rules," Tiny said. Piantissimo nodded.

"You know what?" Piantissimo said, speaking up with an intimidating look on his face. "A game like this was designed for me! You're all just pawns!" The other three couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved by their teammate's sentence.

Piantissimo: _I had to affect them negatively psychologically to win the game, as a player in this game. You see...I had to put in their mindsets that they were going to lose. _

"Ready, players?" came a voice from above, and they knew that McHallyboo's voice was being echoed strongly from above. The treacherous game of Lava Tile Isle was about to take place.

"In three…two…one…"

_**START!**_ At that very announcement, there was an unexpected tremor that hit and startled all four players simultaneously. The blocks below them, all at once, began to shake, but it was two blocks that began to wobble the most out of all of them.

Zess: _Piantissimo...he is always so sure he's going to win! But it's hard to determine if it's just his characteristic, or just an act he puts out while playing in the missions of The Mole: Agent's Elevation._

"WHAT THE!" Piantissimo shouted, feeling the stone block directly below his feet move. "My block is shaking!" As Tiny and Dry Bones watched the shaking blocks in fear, Zess made her way to the corner of the playing field, away from the others.

"Ah, this block is moving too," Dry Bones said nervously, and he took a backwards steps towards Piantissimo's direction. Piantissimo's eyes gleamed.

"Hey Dry Bones…take this!" And with an outstretched shove, his hands pushed Dry Bones forwards, and Dry Bones fell onto the stone block roughly. Zess and Tiny Kong gasped.

"WHAT!" Dry Bones said, standing up breathlessly and turning around. "Why did you do that!" Zess watched from afar, helpless.

"You're playing this game rude!" Zess yelled out to him. "What goes around, comes around!"

"Well, it's a game!" Piantissimo shouted, taking a step closer to him. "And I'm going to win this!"

All of a sudden, there was an unanticipated shift of the field. The platform Piantissimo was directly upon now began to move violently, towards a south direction, and Piantissimo, who had one leg raised in the air in midstep, did not stand a chance in keeping his balance. He took a heavy stumble backwards, away from Dry Bones.

"Huh-AHH!" Piantissimo let out a shout, and seemingly tried to grab onto an invisible rope that didn't exist. Tt was too late, and with a shout, he fell directly off the edge of the block.

"I WAS GOING TO W-!" was his final shout, plummeting towards the lava. Dry Bones shielded his eyes at the terrible scene that took place in front of him. All three players still aboard the blocks were stunned.

"Hah!" Zess' shouted triumphantly from the corner of the field, seeing Piantissimo's fall. "That's what you get for giving us such an ego! Mmhm!" Dry Bones eyes turned to Zess, even more shocked.

* * *

The others in the instruction room were full of shock and disappointment.

"Did Piantissimo know the blocks were going to move?" Snifit wondered. "Did they go over that in the rules? If they didn't, then that's not fair and they should recall that!" Snifit shook his head, disappointed in their game choice.

"He is an athlete…but he fell," Éclair said, looking confused herself.

Éclair: _I cannot believe Piantissimo fell down, and it disturbed me. He would always show off athleticism, but in this one, he fell off, at the very critical point that we depended ten-thousand coins on him. Perhaps it was on purpose._

"Oh my gosh." Mimi hid her laughter, looking at the screen almost with glee. "That was a sight to witness."

"It was a bit surprising, but what are we going to do?" Snifit voiced with a shrug. "I guess we just have to accept that we did bad...with our bet." Everyone nodded slowly, and they knew that they were closer to losing the game.

"Well, the bottom line is, now we must count on…well…Zess to win," Dashell said, and even when saying his statement, a hint of doubt was in his voice.

* * *

"Oh!" The tiles moves once again, and Zess was shaken off her balance from the vibration. While Tiny Kong was keeping her ground still, Dry Bones was attempting to move to another tile.

"Oh man!" Dry Bones shouted, stepping off a trembling tile, one that was about to move again. "I can't even walk on these shaking blocks!"

"It's so hot…I can't even see where I'm going!" Tiny cried, stepping to another tile. Zess stayed her corner, hoping that her tile wouldn't shake.

Zess: _I was keeping in the distance as my strategy, and I was hoping that the other two would fight out first. That way, it would make my chances greater in surviving. But what did I know about how Mario Party worked?_

"Tiny…Zess!" shouted out the voice of Dry Bones. "Want to just call this a draw! This is ridiculous! I don't want to fight any of you!" His other two teammates looked at him from their own corners.

"But we don't win any money if we draw and give up!" Tiny realized, trying to keep her balance on a shaking floor. "We have to continue!"

"Okay…then don't blame me if I lose to temptation and try to win!" Dry Bones shouted back, and he latched onto one of the moving tiles, not moving off from it as it sailed to the bottom of the area. "Sorry guys! I will fight my best!"

Tiny: _Dry Bones wanted to end the competition…I saw a little point in it. I would rather have no one win, than an opponent getting a valuable plus one instead._

"Careful, Tiny…" Tiny hopped the tile, and she landed directly upon a tile. It was the tile that Dry Bones happened to be directly standing on. The two of them met face-to-face unexpectedly.

"AH!" they both exclaimed, stepping back a bit in surprise. Both players, on the same stone block, were alarmed at their close proximity in the game of duels.

"Don't push me! Or I'll push you!" Dry Bones shouted directly at her, keeping his feet wobbily planted into the floor. The two players were just feet apart from each other, in a deadly duel.

"Dry Bones, I'm just trying to-"

"Get away from me!" Dry Bones lunged forwards, as Tiny Kong stepped back away from him. She faced him, panicked, and the ground shook again. They heard a yell from Zess, and then the stone tiles moved once more into different directions.

Tiny: _The tiles were changing….I had to use this to my advantage._

"Take this!" Tiny lunged at Dry Bones, and in fear, he stepped back to counter her direction. But for the skeletonated Koopa, it was a failed attempt at safety. The block tile, which was behind Dry Bones just seconds ago, had switched at last second. It had move away, and unfortunately for the case of Dry Bones, it was no longer where he had believed it to be.

"WHAAA-" He had stepped back directly into the lava.

* * *

"Ouch!" Mimi, Dashell, and Eclair shielded their eyes from the screen, seeing Dry Bones fall into the lava's pool of existence.

"Well, that's two down," Snifit said, looking a little hopefully at the screen and not bothered by Dry Bones' demise at all.

"Ugh, did you see his body sink into the lava?" Mimi sighed with disgust. "That was terrifying.

"Hmm, we're getting closer to winning…come one," Dashell counted, looking closely and watching the last two players remaining on the field.

* * *

It was Tiny and Zess left upon the gridlock pattern of stone tiles. The lava below them bubbled threateningly. Lava Tile Isle was at its final stage.

As Zess looked a little nervously at the other female player that existed along with her, Tiny, started making her way to the other side of the tiles, towards Zess' direction.

"Well, I guess it's down to just you and me!" Zess called out, grinning mischievously with excitement.

Zess: _I had to say, with true truth…if I were at that moment at Tiny Kong's age, I would have beaten her with no doubt._

Tiny Kong: _Even though she was older than me and I had to respect her, in this game you're not supposed to show any mercy in this game. Especially for a plus one._

"No mercy," Tiny Kong said, grinning herself, as the toad nodded fully.

"Just because I'm older than you doesn't mean I'm not going down without a battle!" Zess replied, and they were at it like two beetles at a stand-off. The stones shook once again, making them both caught off-guard.

"Hmph!" Zess shouted, stomping on the stone tile towards Tiny to scare her off.

Tiny: _It was frightening. We were battling each other, without even using physical contact. And it was tense._

"Hyah!" Tiny Kong used one of her hands to swipe Zess backwards, and with a light touch of contact, it was successful. With a surprised gasp, Zess fell backwards onto the stone tile.

"Oh my," she coughed, shaking her head and her body still on the ground. A lava fountain burst by her side, as she covered her eyes with fear. Tiny Kong stepped closer to her.

Zess: _Oh no. She got me cornered. All it would take was one push, and I was off the tile for good!_

Suddenly, there was a shake louder than ever before for the two players. The tile on the left, which was two spaces away from them a second ago, had moved with full force right into their tile. Hitting their own stone cube, both players were thrown off their feet and into the air, roughly landing back onto the ground. However, one player, who was standing opposed to gripping the ground tightly, had been thrown father than the other.

"Ah!" Tiny cried, rolling across the ground viciously and her arm reaching out and grabbing onto the side of the stone cube. Zess immediately made her way over to her. Tiny Kong was grabbing onto the cube's edge, her feet above the lava itself.

"I can help!" the old lady immediately offered, her face determined to help her teammate. Still grabbing on and looking at her, Tiny Kong shook her head strongly.

"No," she said, sounding defeated smiling a bit. "This was a game. You won, Zess! Take the victory!" Zess shook her own head.

"I'll help you up, that's for sure!" But it was too late, as the edge-grabbing player let go, falling down into the sweltering lava below her. Tiny Kong fell, as Zess looked from on top of the stone block with shock and awe. Alone on top of the tile, Zess finally stood up from her place.

"Have…have I won this game?" And at that moment, Zess was declared the winner of the minigame of frenzy, fighting, and fire.

* * *

Everyone was back together again

"Zess!" Éclair exclaimed, running over to the arrived ladt. "You had done it! You have won for us!" The game was well over, and Dry Bones, Tiny, and Piantissimo made their way to the rest of the group as well.

Éclair: _It was a great joy to see Zess win the game. Many people did not believe that someone like me would win my game, but I did win. And then in Zess' case...she was the same example. Nobody expected her, but she won._

Zess grinned back, and looked at the others. She had won the team ten thousand coins.

"Well, I must say, that was one heck of a game," she said to the others, as Tiny Kong went up to her and gave her a small hug.

"That was way too scary," Tiny said with a small laugh, hugging Zess and a little emotional herself from the game. "I never want to do anything like that again!"

Tiny: _Having to fight Zess off from a block over lava was one of the worst things I had ever done. If another mission forces me to do something similar…I'd run away and never ever do it. No way again._

"And Piantissimo, nobody likes you because you lost your game," Mimi said suddenly, out of the blue. It was Piantissimo's face who turned into an unexpected rage to her sentence.

"Listen, you little know-it-all!" he shouted, turning to look at her. "I tried my best in that game, and just cause a tile fell out of place when it wasn't supposed to doesn't mean that I'm still not the best one here." Mimi only laughed in reply.

"Piantissimo couldn't keep his balance on a rock, Piantissimo couldn't keep his balance on a rocke," she taunted, her voice in a small song form. As everyone looked worried, Piantissimo's face shot into full anger.

Dry Bones: _And then he just ran off._

"I'M DONE!" Piantissimo shouted angrily, and he stormed right past McHallyboo, who stepped back with full surprise. A door, engraved into the white wall and leading out of the white room, was opened, and it was Piantissimo who stormed out of it.

"Whoa…" was all Dry Bones could say, looking at Mimi. "I've never seen him storm off like that. You're good!" Mimi, a little shocked herself at Piantissimo's action, just shook her head and beamed.

Tiny: _Ugh…really? Did we really need this kind of drama again? This was reminiscent of Exemption or Bust, and that wasn't exactly the best experience._

"Now that was cruel!" Zess chided, and her voice turned into a scolding one as she began to give the little girl a verbal lesson. "How did your mother teach you your manners, young lady?"

"Umm, where did that door lead to?" asked a stunned Dry Bones.

"That door leads to the bathroom," McHallyboo explained to the no-longer confused player. "I showed it to the others during Game 1."

Zess: _I had to teach this girl some manners! I couldn't believe it! This new generation of words!_

"Hmm…but he is always so cocky and thinking he's the best!" Mimi pointed, pouting at the old toad's words of scolding. "So I wanted to show him his place!"

"Even if someone is mean themself," Éclair spoke, stepping in, "it is still not nice to attack with words. You must attack them with kindness." Mimi nodded, still pouting.

"Well…," McHallyboo announced, clearing his throat. "Even though all four of you aren't here at the moment, the game must go on. Umm…Team 1! You are scheduled to play the next game. Which is…" Everyone's attention turned back to the host, as they waited curiously for the name of their next minigame, one that some of them were about to partake in.

"Dungeon Duos!" announced the host.

"Isn't that the game where the teams have to do that crazy obstacle course and everything is so tired that don't want to play the board game anymore?" Snifit asked. Unfortunately, nobody knew what he was talking about.

"Before you guys go off," the host said, reaching into his pockets, "read this manual to explain how the game goes." He gave a two-sided paper to a disbelieving Mimi.

Mimi: _A MANUAL? That's how complicated the game was? I didn't even want to play, because even Mushroom-Mixup was hard for me._

"Oh, and one more thing before I send you guys off into the arena!" McHallyboo remembered, and he smiled at the players. "This is a Team game! You guys had randomly been paired off into two's for this game. So…" He looked at his paper.

"Mimi and Eclair are Team 1, and Dashell and Snifit are Team 2. And a randomly-selected member of the winning team will be awarded a plus one, if you win." Dashell seemed to nod, but his face wasn't too happy.

Dashell: _I would have liked to have been on Éclair's team, honestly. Winning a plus one meant that she had a chance of losing, and vice versa. McHallyboo's choices suck._

"So we bet on which team will win?" Dry Bones said eagerly, looking more excited at the new game's qualities. "Wow! The game just got easier." Zess and Tiny nodded as well.

"Well, with Piantissimo gone, I guess we'll have wiser voices to guess an opinion," Zess chortled. McHallyboo faced the others.

"Well…let's get started with Minigame 3. "Are you ready for the dungeon?"

* * *

"No, I am NOT ready," Mimi pouted, looking ahead of her at the dungeon path. The four players of Group 1 were now in the dungeon, stone walls surrounded them on sides and the paths ahead of them being filled with unknown obstacles to stumble upon. It was an unpleasant but intriguing sight.

"There's a wall blocking my way?" Dashell realized with curiosity, looking at the wall before him. "How am I supposed to get past this?"

"With my help!" came the voice of Snifit from besides Dashell, and Dashell could hear his partner's voice through the stone wall on his side. "I have to spin this…device." It was a dial device, one that would free their path and win their game. Éclair looked at the wall in front of her.

"Mimi, you must spin the dial to rid my wall," Éclair called to Mimi from the other side of their wall. "And then I am able to go through!

"Okay, as long as we win this, we can do it!" Mimi called back out to her.

* * *

"So, predictions?" McHallyboo said to the three, as they all watched the beginning scene from the minigame instruction room.

"Umm, we pick a team to bet?" Dry Bones began. "Okay…we'll choose…."

Dry Bones: _It was a tough choice. We had Dashell and Snifit on one side, and they probably looked stronger in competitiveness and smartness. But Éclair showed herself in the other game. And Mimi actually looked fit enough to do the obstacle. So I didn't know who would win._

"I have hope in the girls," Zess said, before any of them speak. "I know that Éclair is surprisingly strong. And Mimi might have been rejuvenated from her last loss, and…my speech lesson." Zess laughed.

"Hmm, I don't know," Tiny began, looking at the screen. "The game looks tough. Before, I had faith in Snifit winning the last game, but he didn't win. So I'm going to ignore the fact that he has prior knowledge of how this game works. Dashell…is also strong, but this game doesn't require so much running."

Tiny: _It was a tough choice. I didn't know what to choose. Ten thousand coins were literally on our words._

"The guys are such an obvious choice though…but what if they don't win?" Tiny Kong said with frustration.

"Twenty seconds," began McHallyboo.

"I think we should have faith in the girls," Tiny said, siding with Zess. "I feel like teamwork is important. Éclair and Mimi seem to have a stronger connection than Dashell and Snifit."

"Are you sure?" Dry Bones spoke up warily with a nervous look on his face. "I've seen Snifit and Dashell work together really well and communicate a lot out of this game. They seem to be very compatible with each other!"

"Ten seconds…" began to McHallyboo. Dry Bones shrugged.

"I'm going to…ahh," Dry Bones mumbled, not knowing what to choose. He faced McHallyboo.

"Okay, fine! We bet the team of Mimi and Éclair will win, McHallyboo." The bet was established, as the three players turned their attention directly to the screen of the mini-game.

* * *

"Dungeon Duos to begin!" came a voice from above the players in the dungeon.

"In three…two…one…"

_**START! **_Each team member immediately dashed forwards, to the first obstacle of their game: while one member was blocked by a wall, the other had to turn a handle multiple times to lower the wall, foot by foot. Snifit and Mimi began to unwind their partner's doors, spinning each dial as much and as fast as they could.

Mimi: _It was so tiring! We had to spin these handle things, and mine was so heavy to spin._

Snifit: _If my hands weren't so stubby...perhaps I would have been able to spin that dial faster._

"Yes! Down!" Dashell saw his wall disappear, and with that, he dashed forwards to his own individual dial. The role was reversed, and it was his turn to free his wall-ridden partner.

"Ugh…so heavy…got it!" Mimi finished her spinning. Both teams were neck to neck.

"Man, this is harder than I thought!" Dashell yelled. Éclair ran forwards to her own metal dial, and began to spin it.

"This dial is…quite difficult!" Éclair said, grabbing her dial, but she managed to spin it. Dashell, on his side, was working faster at the metal dial, rotating it numerous times.

"Six times, seven times, eight times," Dashell counted, his voice getting heavier. It was only a few seconds before Snifit was free, and they both ran to the second part of their obstacle course.

"I'm free!" Snifit said with glee, and he and Dashell were united to their second obstacle of their dungeon path.

* * *

"No no no!" Dry Bones said, looking at the screen biting his shirt sleeve nervously. "If it wasn't for those heavy switches, the girls would have been winning at this point!"

"I guess strength was a big factor," Tiny said unfortunately. "Uh oh. And Dashell spun that dial pretty fast. I'm surprised at how fast he spun that, actually." Zess snapped her fingers, looking at the girls.

"Éclair seems to be struggling with her dial," Zess began, "but that doesn't mean we should give up! They have as much speed as their male competitors!"

* * *

"It is…strangely heavy to turn," Éclair huffed, using her hands to spin the metal dial. "I am struggling." She was on her third turn, but it was getting harder and harder by the second.

"No, it's really easy!" shouted Mimi from the other side. "You have to spin it clock-wise like ten times! And after ten times, the wall will come down!" Despite her words, Éclair was still beginning to lose strength in her dial spinning.

Mimi: _I was so confused! Even though it was sort of difficult, I was able to spin my dial with ease! Eclair wasn't putting all her strength into it!_

"I am…it is not moving," Éclair said, her voice tired by alarmed. She was thrusting her body into each turn, but only felt the dial get heavier and heavier in her hands.

Éclair: _It had become so much heavier at a certain point when I was rotating the dial. It seemed as if something had changed, while I was spinning it, that made it extremely difficult to turn. _

"Mimi…I do not know," Éclair said, her voice weak as well as she let go off her dial. "I am sorry. I cannot do this."" Mimi, from the other side of the wall, gasped with worry.

"No, we gotta win this Éclair!" she shouted. "Come on! You have the strength!" Éclair nodded, and attempted once more at the metal dial.

* * *

"Huh…it seems like something's up with the girl's team," Zess noticed, pointing closer at the large screen ahead of them. The others looked as well, as Tiny looked closer with worry.

"It seems like Éclair is having trouble with her metal dial," Tiny saw. "Does she know how to use it correctly?"

"What! But…but," Dry Bones began, "Mimi had such an easy time spinning it! Why is Éclair having so much trouble?"

Dry Bones: _It seemed like sabotage to me! Éclair was a strong player, but she couldn't spin a simple dial? It was suspicious from the start! I couldn't believe she was messing up so early in the minigame._

"Hey…wha, what's happening?" Piantissimo walked back into the room, seeing the panicked looks on all three of their faces. He saw the game going on.

"What! You guys didn't wait for me to come back start the game?" he exclaimed to them. "I didn't even know the game started!" Nobody seemed bothered by his statement.

"And at such a bad time," Zess said, shaking her head with confusion. "Éclair seems to be struggling with her dial for some reason…and Mimi is just standing there." Piantissimo looked at the screen, then back at Zess.

"Eclair! What is she doing?!" All of a sudden, he turned to Dry Bones slowly.

"Wait...don't tell me you guys voted for the team Mimi was on," Piantissimo voiced with disbelief. Dry Bones slowly nodded, covering his eyes.

* * *

"Hmm, I wonder how the girls are doing?" Dashell said, as he began to spin a dial for a rotating platform he had just crossed. They were at the second obstacle section of the game, and a distance ahead of their competitors. Snifit aimed his jump carefully, and when Dashell stopped spinning, Snifit jumped onto it with careful precision.

"Good teamwork," Snifit said, giving a thumbs up and lying belly-down after his jump. He was thankful that he didn't fall to his demise, as his own platform began to rotate to safety.

"It's funny too," Dashell began, spinning Snifit around on the platform so he could reach him. "I hear Mimi's constant yelling, getting farther and farther away from us. Think they're okay?"

"As much as I want to win these plus ones….I cannot help but feel concerned too," Snifit said, face in confusion as he jumped onto the safe land with Dashell on the other side of the course.

* * *

"You're halfway there, Éclair!" Mimi called out to her, watching the wall before her lower foot by foot. It was a tall wall, and she could not simply climb above it.

Mimi: _I didn't know what to do. Éclair couldn't lower the wall, and I wanted to win that plus one so badly. But I couldn't just hop over it like Mario! So…I was making peace with my loss at the moment. Like a grown girl._

"I am…very sorry Mimi," Éclair began, and she sat down on the cold tile floor. "I am not strong enough. I cannot spin it." She had given up her actions, as Dashell and Snifit raced to their personal victory.

Éclair:_ I did not know why that dial was so heavy for me to spin. And it was more hurtful to know that Mimi did not win, than me not winning._

* * *

"So…the bet is lost," McHallyboo concluded, as both Mimi and Éclair looked tired and defeated. Éclair's face was troubled, looking more tired than her partner.

Piantissimo: _From what I distinctly heard, Éclair couldn't spin a dial that Mimi could spin? Pfft! My suspicions were high for the princess from what she did. She pretended to struggle, but honestly, I think it was sabotage._

Mimi: _I wasn't mad at Eclair for not getting the plus one. I didn't want to lose her as a friend, since we were both in this game. So I let it go. Grudges are bad! I'm still surprise that I'm stronger than her though._

"I am sorry for letting the team down," Éclair told them, facing everybody, "But on the contrary, I am glad that you had faith in us to win." When she said that, she was facing Zess. Zess smiled at her.

"Well, faith one way, faith the other," the toad said with a wink. Everyone seemed dejected from the loss.

"So I know we lost," Snifit began, "but….I'm excited to see who will win the plus one between Dashell and me." Everyone eyed the two males a little curiously, and McHallyboo flipped through a small packet of papers in his hands.

"Umm…again, this was randomly selected," McHallyboo began, reading the text on his page, "but the plus one goes to Dashell Knot for the victory." Everyone faced, Dashell, who looked surprised at the statement.

"Oh, well," he started, looking directly at Snifit, "Snifit was kinda the one who pumped that hot air balloon at the end really fast. I think he should get it." Snifit shook his head, holding his hand out to deflect Dashell's offer.

"If I were to take it, I would feel bad instead. It's a paradox," Snifit said to his partner. "So you take the plus one. I'm good for the quiz." Dashell nodded, as the host gave the green coin into Dashell's possession for the quiz.

Tiny: _So now Dashell gets a plus one…it was really intimidating. Éclair, Zess, and him all have advantages on the next quiz. That's three people…and it just makes my chances smaller at surviving._

"Final game!" McHallyboo announced, looking at the members of Group 2. "It's nice that you're all here, instead of being scattered to the bathroom and whatnot." Piantissimo made an irritated sound at McHallyboo's comment at him.

"So, you're all wondering what final amazing game stands in your way," the host began. "Well…it's a quick one!"

"Which is?" Tiny asked the host, anxious on his next words.

"Three Door Monty."

* * *

_For this minigame, the __players__have to watch a __Boo__,__Koopa__, and__Goomba__enter separate doors. The objective is for the players to answer the question of which character entered which door. The player who answers the question right and is the quickest wins the minigame. It is a very speed-oriented game._

"Huh…speed," Piantissimo said in a sure voice, reading the instructions above him. All three players had three sign posts in their hands: one with an 'A' sign, one with a 'B' sign, and the final one with a 'Z' sign.

"Speed as in reflexes, not running," Zess said, wagging her finger at him. "Don't be so sure, Piantissimo!"

"Say, Zess," Dry Bones said slowly, holding up a sign to her, "if I win this game, do you think you can give me one of your plus ones? Maybe…just for security for myself?"

"Well…only if you tell me who the Mole is," Zess smirked. Dry Bones was silent.

"Oh my gosh…I need this," Tiny Kong said, looking closely at the doors in front of her.

* * *

"I think we should just…flip coins," Snifit said, looking at the screen and giving up. They as a group had to bet on their two player selections for the game.

"This is an intellectual-based challenge," Éclair said, looking at the others. "The mind is involved. Not just strength."

"Speed…Piantissimo?" Mimi began. "Even though I just can't stand him, I guess I'll pick him."

"And not only that, but the action of raising the right sign in your hand quick enough is a challenge itself," Dashell began. "I'm not going to pick Zess for this one. She was able to win Lava Tile Isle..."

"And now she is less motivated to win a plus one," Snifit noticed cleverly. "So Zess isn't as pumped to win as the others are! Because everyone else doesn't have a plus one yet."

"Do you think Tiny might win?" Éclair wondered. "She is a very clever individual and is determined."

"Poor Dry Bones might just fumble with the signs," Mimi said with a laugh. "And Piantissimo is just so arrogant…he might win."

"I think I'll agree with you on Tiny, Éclair," Dashell said, as the princess smiled with a nod. "And…Piantissimo as well. Maybe he has more energy from his bathroom break." The group seemed content. Even though none of them knew how accurate their answers would be, they had a small sense of hope together.

"Tiny and Piantissimo!" declared Mimi at the host. "We bet them!" The host nodded, writing down their bets.

* * *

_**START!**_

The game had begun. Before them, a Koopa-troopa came out from a door, then a Boo, and lastly, a Toad. The three figures, before their eyes, began to run amuck, their locations switching over and over again.

Tiny: _I…couldn't keep track. They were just running everywhere. I was so lost, but I was just keeping my eye on two of them, just hoping that the ones I was keeping track to would end up being the one being called._

"Boo…Koopa-troopa…Toad…Boo," Piantissimo said out loud enough for the others to hear. Dry Bones winced at his talking.

"Stop it!" he whispered to Piantissimo ."You're messing me up!" Piantissimo's mouth curled into a smile.

"Toad….Boo….Koopa-troopa," Piantissimo continued, being clever in his words. Dry Bones covered his ears.

All of a sudden, all three figures entered their respect doors, and the doors closed shut.

"Oh, this is it," Zess said, clenching her teeth. "This is the moment…" Tiny sighed, crossing her fingers tightly with her other hand.

And then, a sudden sound echoed through the air. All four players gripped onto their signs, ready to raise them. A voice echoed.

"FIND…BOO!"

* * *

**Not gonna lie. I absolutely SUCKED at that game. Three-Door Monty….man, I would literally just guess and happily hope that someone like Boo popped up. Or Toad. Or Koopa?**

**Anyways, Dungeon Duos! That is definitely a classic and sticks out in the Mario Party series as being one of the most complex and fun games ever. I knew I had to include that for the players. Button mashing, mah specialty ; D**

**Anyways, a small announcement after the jump! Ah, but first, let me reply to you great people! : ) It makes me happy to!**

* * *

**Moley Koopa****:** Yes, the aftermath of an episode! And them relaxing. I love picturing the players relaxing after a stressful episode. The lobby was a favorite setting for the players during Saboteur's Island, so I thought it was a cool touch to have them all there. And yes, Dry Bones is quite a likable guy! His character and quirkiness…I'm not going to lie. He reminds me of myself a lot.

**AdmiralBobbery****:** Hello hello! A pleasure seeing you again! Wasn't the same without Bobbery himself, hehe. Yes, there has been a history of off-screen sabotages. Though there are maybe a few in this story, there are not such a large amount. I will give you that = ) Having a LOT of off-screen sabotage to conduct a Mole's game is a bit cheating, even in a story sense so the Mole this season made sure to keep it to an occasional minimum xD. I missed ya!

**Shilo Burbans****: **The game! Ahh, you're giving me happy memories! Oh man, I never knew you blackmailed Princess Toady, where was I when that happened? I laugh thinking about it, hahah. Watchful like Vivian…you know, even in a virtual reality self-being, she was still able to be smart and catch a stolen megaphone. That's kinda….extreme and scary.

**wendychristensen****:** Ah, hello hello! It has been a small while since I saw you last. You actually brought up intriguing points in your analytical view. I will not comment any more of that, but I'll at least say that you have a very watchful eye as a reader. And thank you for calling my writing clever! Dx I will…thank you and walk away now, hehhee.

**fredthemontymole****:** Yo. Lava Tile Isle D: the heck. Every time I try to punch a computer, it seems to go through their bodies, and they don't even get knocked away. I share your hate! I really do! But Mario Party as a whole…I have loved it forever! A lot of people dislike it for its luck qualities, but, Mario Party has always been my game for hangouts with friends who are Nintendo lovers (I always make sure someone's a Nintendo fan before I make friends with them. LOL. And also, nice suspicion points and analyzing! I see you've crossed off suspects and added some. Shall it change or hold water? Hehe.

**T****heJoker21****:** Thank you! I am always glad to get reviews : ] and whoot! A Top-3 list. It's like those are always necessary for a Mole game, heh.

**PJCanada****:** Ahh, wow! I'm actually so intrigued and blown by your "reading between the lines method". Predicting where a story-line is going, etc. what not. And I was even more impressed when you mentioned my virtual fanfiction Mole game and the deal with Princess Toady. YOU WERE ABLE TO FOLLOW THAT GAME? XD I apologize that the forums were so messy, but what you brought up in your review was a good point and a nice catch of eye : ) Ah, please, and about telling your friends to read my story…ah, I cannot take it. I am too bashful and honored! Hehee, thank you!

**KhaosOmega****:** Ah, I must say, very sorry that I did not include Toadstool Titan! But just saying, I think that was the first game I ever played in Mario Party 3? Such joy! Thanks for memory : )

**Vivalahomestar****:** Hey hey hey! Awesome seeing you again! I know, why did you not know my story existed?! –shot for ego- Haha, I kid. Anyways, I'm so glad reading that you liked the virtual-building aspect of the story! I really wanted to pick out a setting that just destroys all physics and expectations, and I felt it was perfect for this third season. It was a pleasure doing this third season, for people like you! Yes, and the friendships and enemies in this game…man, I'm making sure that everything goes perfectly, hehe. And YOU MIGHT GET THE MOLE RIGHT! No lose hope!

**FireKai****: **I was excited for this chapter! So I was happy when you said, "Best chapter ever" (insert happy smiley : D). Hehe. Oh yes, Mushroom Mix-up was such an iconic game in my opinion. I figure everyone must have remembered it, so I immediately included that for the players to play. About the players betting, yes! Some of their choices, I would have agreed on, but others would probably have flat out shaken my head. And MECHA MARATHON, noooo! Terrible memories…but fun : )

**Ice Empoleon:** Right before I was about to upload this chapter, I looked at the reviews and saw "WHAAA" this long great review! Then I saw Ice Empoleon and was like, "Oh, understandable." xD Ah, this wonderful list of words and sabotages! You know? It even makes me even realize what Non-Mole players have actually done in this game to sabotage! And it blows my mind, seeing how much some have truly messed up the efforts of this entire game. And even as I write this, I look over some of your player summaries : )

* * *

**Anyways! I am proud to announce…**

**The official intro video of The Mole: Agent's Elevation! Just look right under "Videos" on the site, on my profile. : )**

**I didn't know how to introduce the players one by one in this one, to keep the effect of a spy-ish and virtual world. But I added some stuff and I hope you all like it ; ) Also, I added sound effects at the last second, so I'm sure those made it great too! All for an awesome video intro.**

**Anyways, upcoming is the halfway point of Ep. 3! And just who won first at 3-Door krisetchers-failsathatgame Monty? Stay tuned for next part!**


	13. Forest of Mistrust

**So you guys are probably wondering, WHY IS KRISETCHERS UPDATING SO FAST?!**

**Hehe! Well you see, I'll be gone for an entire half of August, so that is why I am updating a bit faster before all goes a small break! (or maybe I'll just upload the next part while on vacation lol).**

**So yes, enjoy this chapter! Scenes change, and games are preparing to go amuck! Also, some deep conversations between the players make them think twice about certain people, and it's not good.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Episode 3 (Part 3)**

"FIND BOO!" was the yelled statement. As a picture of Boo flashed onto the screen, pandemonium struck within the minds of all players present.

"AH!" Dry Bones shouted, raising a sign up randomly. But Piantissimo had risen a sign up as well at his exact moment, and Tiny did as well, all three of them so raising their signs so fast that is seemed as if all three players had done it at the same time. Zess blinked twice, her arms down.

"Hold on…we're supposed to find Boo?" she asked, flabbergasted. "How are we supposed to do that? With the sign?" As Piantissimo looked at Zess in disbelief, Dry Bones laughed with humor.

Dry Bones: _I don't think she got the rules completely. But Zess! She makes the games fun. So seeing her mess up in this one just lightened up the mood, so good for her._

"Was the right answer B?" Tiny asked them. Dry Bones and Piantissimo, still holding their signs up high, displayed different letters to the surprise of Tiny: they were both holding A.

"A?" she gasped, looking at her sign in shock. Out of all the panic, she had raised the wrong sign.

Piantissimo: _I saw Tiny raise the wrong flag, and my first thought was a good one: I had eliminated a competitor for the plus one._

Tiny: _Not only did I not get the final plus one of the game, BUT I messed up for the team. It was such a double whammy for me, and I was disappointed._

"I guess…I have won," Piantissimo said, voice proud and not acknowledging the flustered look of the player besides him.

"Hey, what about me!" Dry Bones pointed out with a cry. "I could have won too!"

* * *

Minigame Madness was done.

"Well, so that's how the rules of the game went," Zess said to the group as a laugh, after hearing the host's second explanation. Everyone smiled, but they were curious about the results of the game over anything.

"So your bets were played on two players," McHallyboo began, "and those two were Piantissimo and Tiny!" As Piantissimo nodded at the announcement, it was Tiny who had a sorry look on her face.

"The game went so fast, I couldn't even think about what sign I was raising," Tiny said, shaking her head. "I wanted to raise the 'A' sign in the air, but before I knew it, I had mistakenly raised the 'B' sign instead." She seemed defeated.

"It is okay," Éclair said, looking at Tiny. "We know you really wanted to win for the team, but it was hard."

Eclair:_ It was suspicious, but_ _Tiny is one of the players on my "list to trust", so I chose to believe her. I do not think she is the Mole, though but her story did have a few inconsistencies._

Dashell: _Like I always questioned, does the Mole know who we betted on while they played their minigame? Because if they did...then that opens a whole list of sabotages. Mimi, Piantissimo, and Tiny are all suspect._

"Well, since we know that one of your bets are now voided," McHallyboo said, "I'm assuming you players are hoping that Piantissimo held up his sign faster than Dry Bones, right?" McHallyboo said to the players, facing them all. They all waited, nervousness and uncertainty running through their minds. Even Dry Bones and Piantissimo didn't know the answers for the game's result.

Piantissimo: _If I lost to this guy…I would be questioning all of my skills in athleticism._

"I was just looking at Boo the whole time during the game," Dry Bones spoke in defense. "I'm sorry guys if I raised it too fast!"

"So who won?" Mimi asked, anxious on the answer. "Who did it first!?"

"The results were this," McHallyboo announced, reading from a piece of paper that was printed out and handed to him just minutes ago. "Piantissimo….you raised your sign in…1.020 seconds." Everyone had mixed thoughts: it was fast, but hopefully fast enough. They faced Dry Bones.

"Dry Bones…you raised your sign…in…" The players seemed to all lean closer in anticipation, waiting for the announced time.

"1.020 seconds." Everyone took in the host's words with shock. A few of them were stunned with disbelief at the truth: the times had tied.

"Wait…WHA?" Piantissimo said, realizing the impossible occurrence himself. "Wasn't that my time? Did we…actually and absolutely get the same exact time?" McHallyboo nodded.

"It is impossible," stated Eclair. "That is to the last possible fraction of a second." Everyone seemed stunned.

"It happens in track races," Dashell said, shrugging. "So it's not that rare."

"I rose it THAT FAST?!" was Dry Bones sentence of shock, looking thrilled himself. "That's awesome!" Everyone didn't know what to think, but most confusingly, nor did they not know what the results of the game would be.

Zess: _So this fellow claims he randomly raised his sign, and happened to get the right one, risking our loss? I don't get this guy's actions. If he's the Mole, goodie good for him!_

"This is birth to a new Mole event," the host said, smiling. "What a record, to start your day."

"I don't think we tied THAT closely," Piantissimo said, looking suspiciously at the host. Dry Bones shrugged.

"Well, what happens now?" Tiny asked, looking worriedly at the host. "Are you not going to give us any money, just because it's a draw? I was hoping the team would be awarded some." Everyone turned to the host."

"Well, technically, in a Mario Party," McHallyboo began, closing his eyes and his memories going back to his own installment of the game, "when a game is drawed, in a Battle Mini-game….which 3-Door Monty is…both best players are awarded the role of first place." The group as a whole tried to analyze McHallyboo's words

"So," McHallyboo said, smiling to the two teams, "I said in this mission to "bet on a winner". And since technically, Dry Bones and Piantissimo are both the winners in this game…you win the money." Everyone began to holler with happiness for the results of their final game.

"Yes, ten thousand big ones, right in the bag!" Zess said, hugging her teammates one by one. It was a success for their game, and their pot reached a very crucial amount: three-fourths of its way to the first hundred grand of the pot.

**Team Pot**

**_75,000 COINS_**

"Wait," Dry Bones said slowly, "err…what happens to the plus ones?" Everyone stopped at the statement.

Tiny:_ All of a sudden, I knew that if both Piantissimo and Dry Bones were going to win plus ones, my place in execution would become a lot more riskier and likely._

"Oh, well, technically, no more than 1 'plus ones' are allowed to be distributed for each of the games," McHallyboo said to them. "And unlike the last mission, there is no randomizer to determine which of the two of you will receive the award. So you win the ten grand…but neither of you get plus ones." Piantissimo's face was in angered disbelief.

"That's the most unfair statement I've ever heard!" he stated with frustration. "I believe Dry Bones and I both deserve out awards."

"Sorry, but rules are rules," McHallyboo told the player. "There is very little use questioning them."

Piantissimo: _I was mad. COMPLETELY mad. But I didn't want to fight with…the host. If a player told me that, I would have gotten into their face and fought for that plus one so badly. This game just doesn't face fair to me at all._

Dry Bones: _Oh well, you can't win everything! I think this was the lesson that stuck out to me from this game. _

"Well, I'm happy we are three-fourths of our way to 100,000 coins," spoke Snifit to the others. "That's cool." Everyone nodded, realizing the significant increase to their pot.

"Not bad," Dashell said with a nod. "Almost one-fifth there. Not bad."

Snifit: _Even though only one of us was going to win the won 75,000 coins in the end, we all felt like we each won 75,000 coins. So was it the phenomenal feeling of teamwork? Or just self-interest and pride, thinking that just each of us ourselves would win the game, and for that fact we were happy?_

"Very philosophical, Snifit," McHallyboo complimented, hearing the player's little spiel of cooperation and self-interest. "I guess that's for all of you, individually, to decide." The players, indeed, thought about it for the smallest of moments.

* * *

The players were in the white room for an hour, waiting for their further news on Episode 3's process.

"I wonder where we'll go next," Tiny said, not knowing herself the next location of the game.

"Dashell…I have just remembered," Éclair said with a grateful tone, "we are both holding plus ones. We are likely to go on."

"I know, Éclair," Dashell said back, relief on his face. "Just don't blame me if you find it missing. I might end up with two coins at the end of this episode." Éclair gasped, playfully hitting Dashell on the side with a laugh. Mimi just grinned at Zess.

"Oh, when you're older, Mimi," Zess said with a roll of her eyes, but she was smiling as well.

"Phew, that bathroom is just terrible," Dry Bones said, stumbling out of the room's door for the second time. "Toilet flushes too loud. Almost tripped on this metal stick thing on the ground on the way out." Tiny gave him a weird look.

"Okay, so since there's not much to do here," McHallyboo said honestly, looking around at the white walls of blankness around him, "I would like to say that the remainder of Episode 3 will be taking place somewhere else: we will all be moving to a new location." Everyone turned to the host with surprise.

"Where's that?" Mimi asked, immediately interested. "Is it somewhere exciting and fun?

"Well, you as a group get to choose," McHallyboo began. "This episode, well, we're still in the Mario World. And in Mario Party, there are boards to choose from." The players seemed collectively surprised.

Snifit: _There were some nice maps to choose from. They had a cool city scene in Neon Heights. Pagoda Park was also a great display of Chinese civilization._

Tiny: _It was really important in choosing our next location, so I wanted to voice my opinion in doing so._

"So your choices are from the following," the host read from the list of players. "First: Peach's Birthday Cake. It is a board upon an enormous pastry: a St. Honore cake. Consider it a sweet location."

"Hmm, I remember hearing about that location," Snifit said. "There were candles, and I'm pretty sure it was a large strawberry short cake, not a St. Honore. And I also remember Bowser being on that board, which was a first for a Mario Party."

"Does it matter?" Dry Bones said excitedly at the board' mention. "Let's go for it!"

"What on earth are we going to do upon a large birthday cake?" Piantissimo questioned with ridicule. "Are we really going to play an entire mission there?" McHallyboo contined.

"Second, we have…Pyramid Park," the host continued. "It's a desert location for those who've always wanted to see pyramids of ancient origins and dry, sunny land." The players all faced each other: the last place they wanted to go to was a location that reminded them of their desert walk in Episode 1.

"Yeowch," Zess moaned, making a face. "I can already feel the blisters forming below my feet from that description!"

"Third, one of my personal boards: Goomba Booty Boardwalk," the host told them. "You will be upon a tropical land of friendly dolphins and civilians of Piantas." The players seemed content at the land's description, which contrasted much with the previous mentioned board.

"And lastly…Boo's Haunted Bash," McHallyboo to them all, and some of them got a dark feeling from its name. "It's a combination of graveyards, dark forests, and a majestic mansion. As scary as it is, it's beautiful."

"Let's choose the cake board," Dry Bones immediately said, shuddering at the haunted-setting board.

"But like I said before," Piantissimo spoke to the others, "What on earth are we going to do on a cake? The missions seem so boring and easy if we go to a location like that."

"Maybe that's the point," Dashell thought. "The missions will be easier on the cake." But with a shake of his head, everyone knew that Piantissimo wouldn't agree.

"Yeah, I might get a sugar coma on that board," Zess said, laughing heartily. "So it's a no for me too."

Tiny Kong: _I thought the birthday cake would have been the best board. But oh well. In the end, it didn't matter for me where the group went._

"Well, then how about Goomba's Booty Boardwalk?" Tiny brought up. "Does anyone want to go there? Either that or Boo's Haunted Bash."

"Goomba's board is beautiful-sounding," Éclair said. "I would like to go there, because it is very sunny and visually-appealing. Will we go there?"

"Wait, didn't we already go to a tropical location already?" Piantissimo realized, and everyone remembered as well. "Shouldn't we choose another location?"

"Well, would you rather go to a scorching desert and burn your expensive running shoes?" Mimi ridiculed with a roll of her eyes.

"To keep this game exciting, yes," Piantissimo said, a little insulted.

"Hmm, the haunted house location," Snifit said quietly. "I feel like there are some good missions in store for us there. Forests. Big houses." Everyone at first looked at the player weirdly. But then, Zess jumped up.

"Hmm, now that I think of it," Zess began, "that Boo face in the previous mission was probably a sign for us to go to Boo's Haunted Bash!" Everyone looked at the player.

"That's…a stretch," Dashell said honestly. "But sure. It seems like our best option out of all the boards."

"WHAT! No!" Dry Bones fought, his face showing terror. "Why can't we go to Peach's Birthday Cake? That's so much nicer!"

"As much as I do not like the haunted theme either," Éclair voiced, "I believe we may find some valuable aspects and uncover mysteries in the location of a haunted house. It seems magical."

"That makes…no sense," Dry Bones muttered.

"Yeah, I haven't been to a haunted house ride in forever," Mimi said, sounding excited. "Let's explore it!"

"Hopefully it's not too scary for you," Zess said to Mimi with a wink. "It's pretty dark there!" Mimi shook her head.

"Nope," she replied. "I am the bravest player here, and a little silly scary haunted house can't bother me." Everyone looked at each other.

"Please choose soon," McHallyboo to them, looking at his watch. "We're scheduled to be in your second location in approximately one minute." Everyone faced each other.

"Okay, so no tropical place or desert?" Dashell confirmed. "Haunted house? Do we all agree?"

"No!" was Dry Bones' shout.

"Hmm…I suppose," Piantissimo said, folding his arms.

"Well…I think the largest consensus is to go to the haunted house," Tiny said, sounding a little unsure herself, "though I won't like it too much either, I think it's a good place to settle our thoughts and whatnot." Dashell faced the host.

"Boo's Haunted Bash, sir." McHallyboo nodded at the interesting choice.

"Well...now that you've chosen it," McHallyboo grinned, "Be ready."

"No! Anything but the haunted house!" Dry Bones covered his eyes.

"To the board!"

And slowly, the place around them started to change. The white elements of their room seemed to be fade slowly into non-existence, and the electronic screen showing the remains of Three-Door Monty flicked off before their eyes. The walls of their room were gone, and the blinding white lights around them began to disappear, as if energy and happiness was being sucked out of the room slowly and certainly. The players watched their surroundings silently change.

Now, the white walls had faded, and they were in an area much larger than they were in before. But the thing that changed the most was that it was dark. Darkness was in front of them, and little sounds began to surround them from all corners of their existences.

"HOO, HOO!" An owl suddenly flapped its wings and headed directly towards Mimi, as she screamed and ducked. The players gasped and looked around them at the unusual atmosphere. From their sides, cricket chips began to hit their ears, getting louder and louder by the second. A large image in front of them was constructed with flashes of dark light, seen in their background, and it was a structure with windows, a rooftop, and a large metal front door.

"The mansion," Éclair gasped, looking out ahead of her. Everyone looked to their sides, and slowly one by one, the pixels beside them began to form the most real of trees. Before they knew it, and after a few blinks, the players found themselves at the very edge of a forest. In front of them, in their distance of their land, was the large mansion of the world itself.

"This…is worse than my nightmares," Dry Bones said, petrified and looking ahead at the scene before him.

"Hmm, well, it's not as colorful as a desert," Zess thought, "but at least the air is cool here!" They players continued to look around, realizing how dark and eerie their settings really were.

Dashell: _Didn't want to admit it, but I__ was creeped out of my mind. I didn't want to go anywhere in this game._

"That metal gate," Snifit said, and he was the first player to walk forwards, a few feet to a gate that separated the players from the mansion in their distance and reaching the gate before them. "There's a piece of paper on it." He slowly made his way to the blocking obstacle, as the players began to look around more.

"Where's McHallyboo?" Tiny asked flabbergasted, looking around her.

"Here," Snifit said mysteriously. He had walked back to their location, holding the note for everyone to see.

_**Good day, players!**_

_**In this board, the land will already be dark at as soon as 2PM in the afternoon. Coincidentally, that is also when the Mole appeared too!**_

_**Since you all missed the reservations to reserve rooms last night at the Boo Manor, you won't be able to get inside for the day/night. But please make yourself comfortable with the camping equipment located near the edge of the forest!**_

_**Haunting your entrance into this world,**_

_**McHallyboo**_

"Sleeping…OUTSIDE?!" Mimi exclaimed, facing the note with disbelief.

Zess: _It seemed unusually pointless, especially since there was a mansion house just 2 minutes away from us. Where's the love for the players, McHallyboo?_

"Hmm." Piantissimo grabbed the note, read it for himself, and then threw it at the ground.

"Typical," he said with low hopes. "We're sleeping outside."

"Well! Guess we're going to have to find our camping equipment!" Zess said out loud, walking backwards towards the edge of the forest. "Before the sun disappears." The others looked up at the sky and saw it was true: though it was dark, there was still a slimmer of sunlight still above them, still giving them light in their gloomy and eerie setting.

"Okay, let me collect wood!" Mimi said, marching off into the distance.

"Wait, I won't want to go alone!" Dry Bones called out, following her as well. "I'll go collect wood!"

Dry Bones: _It was dark. And scary. And I was silently blaming the entire group for choosing this location._

"I will search for luggage," Eclair decided, turning around to the forest.

"Do you want me to come with you, or will you be fine?" Dashell asked cautiously to Éclair.

"As long as we find materials to survive the night, then I will be okay," Éclair replied, turning around with a smile. "Thank you though, Dashell." Dashell watched her walk into the woods alone, a bit of worry on his face.

Dashell: _I was starting to forget just how fake everything was. It was a fake forest, right? But why was I concerned about her safety? No one was going to attack her, I think._

"Well, I guess this is our home," Tiny Kong said in a voice reflecting uncertainty, looking at the campsite they had all arrived at. It was how everyone at that moment felt as a group. The Mole, too.

Tiny Kong: _I hope it just all goes well from now on. We were, after all, in a dangerous location._

* * *

"I KNEW we should have just went to Peach's Birthday Cake," Dry Bones whined with a piece of log in his hands, crying at the same he was carrying it. They were building the necessity of a camping ground's center: a fireplace.

"You're such a baby," Mimi smiled, sitting on a log and watching her teammates gather piles of wood for her. "I'm not scared of the forest. I just…don't want to sleep outside." As the sun was in its last moments of existence, Zess looked up at the sky.

"Well, it won't be long before the sun sets and we're in complete darkness," Zess announced to them, looking up at the little bits of sunlight above her. "I guess it's good I'm getting everyone to gather wood together." Mimi nodded, and then hopped off her log.

"Oh, by the way Zess," Mimi said, looking apologetically at the player before her, "Sorry for thinking at times in this game that you were just, well…" She paused for a second, as Zess turned to her with interest.

"…a little old player who couldn't do much. That was silly of me to think, wasn't it?" Dry Bones looked at Mimi, stunned at her apology. Zess smiled lightly.

"Yes, a very silly thought for you to think!" Zess said, carrying a piece of log into the preparing fireplace, but then she smiled at the girl. "But you're an enjoyable girl yourself, Ms. Shipeshafter. Keep up the good side of your attitude, even after you're out of this game." Mimi smiled back.

"Umm, I hate to break the sentiment," Dry Bones said nervously, pointing towards the house in their distance, "but I just saw the lights flash in those windows over there." Everyone turned to the direction Dry Bones pointed to: it was the windows of the mansion, in their distance, and one of the windows had recently lit up. The three players within the woods looked at it with curiosity. Dry Bones gulped with fear.

Dry Bones: _Just what did the rest of our game have in store? I didn't want to think about it at all. I just wanted to hop on frosting and cake, and now we're here? Ay…caramba._

"Maybe it's telling us to go into the spooky haunted house," Zess said, laughing at Dry Bones' horrified reaction to her suggestion.

* * *

The sky was now darker in the day, and there were still pieces of camping equipment that were being discovered every minute. Éclair, who spotted a bag, was attempting to retrieve a luggage bag that was stuck in a branch above her.

"Oh, hello princess." Éclair turned around.

"Good afternoon," she said politely but slowly to the person who had approached her. It was Piantissimo.

"Man, this game really ticks me off sometimes, but what can you do?" he said to her, looking at the bag that she was trying to retrieve. "Is that a tent bag?"

"I am not sure," Éclair said, "but it will be useful in this treacherous forest." Piantissimo leaped up onto a stump by the side of the tree, his foot planted into the side of the plant. Reaching out his arm as far as he could, he snatched its handle, then fell back to the main ground of the forest. He held out the bag for Éclair to grab.

"Here you go," he said to her in a triumphant voice. Éclair only bowed slightly.

Piantissimo: _I couldn't tell why Éclair had a small reluctance in talking to me. It's only understandable that maybe she didn't trust me completely, and trusted some others instead. That's all right. I had my own list of Mole-suspects as well._

"So, this game and all its players!" Piantissimo started, pacing around behind her. "I mean, you can never tell who to trust and who to not trust. They are just a big old group of deceivers!" Éclair, disinterested, didn't say anything.

"Don't you think so?" Piantissimo asked slowly.

""There are perhaps a small number of people, despite our surroundings of mistrust and deceit, whom I still have some trust in," Éclair replied. " It is good to trust at least one or two people in this game." Piantissimo turned to her.

"Oh, you too?" Piantissimo said, his voice in interest to Éclair. "That's awesome! I mean, of course! There are some people I trust, and then some people I don't trust." Éclair, still disinterested, continued collecting sticks for their fire. Piantissimo looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"I mean, that Dashell dude. I thought I could trust him, but….geez." Éclair suddenly stopped collecting sticks.

"Dashell?" she asked quietly. "What about…Dashell?" Piantissimo only laughed lightly.

"Oh, it is nothing," he said, laughing and swiping the air in a small motion. "It is simply nothing. He's a smart guy." As Éclair faced him concerned, he continued to talk a bit.

"Except for that time during our game of Saboteur Island Sabotage, when he devised that plan to make Dry Bones run for the megaphone," Piantissimo spoke, still looking upward in his direction. "What a foolish plan. I mean, that was all his idea."

"Dashell…he created that plan?" Éclair asked, her voice different.

"Of course he did!" Piantissimo told her. "Why do you seem so interested in that fact, princess?"

"I…" Éclair shook her head, looking down. "I was just wondering. Thank you for telling me, Piantissimo." Her face suddenly changed into one of confusion and sadness, but Piantissimo didn't notice.

"Well, I'll be off," Piantissimo said, turning his body away. "I need to gather some of the food before someone else steals them. Enjoy your baggage hunting…princess." As he walked off, Éclair was left to think on her own.

* * *

"Ah…do you not know how nice a historic desert would have felt?" McHallyboo looked at the lamp by his mansion chair.

"Or perhaps a nice calm boardwalk? It's a shame we couldn't go to any of those places." McHallyboo dimmed the light of the mansion room down, so no one from outside could see.

"I chose this place because I think it would suit me the best," the figure replied, looking at a map in their hands. He or she was studying it.

"Well, thank you for meeting me here in the middle of the night…while the others are still sleeping," McHallyboo spoke, sipping from a cup of tea. "Saboteur." The Mole continued reading their map.

"I hope the others are faring nicely. Did they find enough luggage equipment to rest themselves a nice night?"

"There were eight sleeping bags and one tent. Everyone made the decision to sleep outside."

"Hmm, I do hope they have bug spray," McHallyboo said with concern.

"It's quite good that they do not have a can of Mole spray hanging around," the Mole said with a small smile, as McHallyboo chuckled loudly at the Mole's pun. He then looked at the grandfather clock against the wall of the room.

"Take your sleeping bag, and go back," he said, looking out the window. "Pretend you were never here. You were sleeping…along with the players."

"I understand," the Mole replied. McHallyboo spoke more.

"They are an intelligent group of players. And with the decreased number of players left in this group, it will only get easier for them to spot you and harder for you to hide among a decreased number of people."

The Mole stopped reading their map, looking at the host from the antique armchair they were sitting in.

"Yes. That is why I am terrified for the end of this episode."

* * *

It was morning time. A bird called through the woods, and the dead oak trees reflected the sunlight that shone upon them. The sun hit one of the players, and she woke up from her sleeping bag on the ground of their land's forest. Tiny Kong sat up.

"Huh….oh," she said, at first alarmed but then relaxing with slight gloom. Their location was so odd and new to her that even she forgot for a second where she was. She could only sit up in silence.

"Hey…Snifit!" Tiny noticed, seeing the figure walk through the trees of the forest to the camping site. Besides her, the fire pit had died out from last night. Snifit was walking back to the camping location, nothing but dead sticks in his hands.

"What are you doing?" she asked, not being able to help feeling a small bit of suspicious.

"Hey, morning," Snifit said, looking at her, and then paused.

"I could have sworn your sleeping bag was on the other side of the fire pit when I woke up," he said. Tiny looked confused.

"I couldn't rest at all," Tiny said, shaking her head. "I moved from the forest's edge, cause I heard strange noises." She looked at the woods behind Snifit.

"This location…it's just," she began. "It's so gloomy and haunting. I can't believe we decided on this place…but I guess it's for the best. If we want to discover who the Mole is together." As she talked, Snifit listened.

"We'll all find the Mole together," Snifit said, trying to sound reassuring to her. Tiny nodded.

"And we're probably bound for a second mission soon," Snifit said, looking at the forest as well.

"Just the whole location of this place…I thought it would be okay, but it just gives me these dead, ghostly feelings." She smiled at her unintentional pun, as Snifit laughed.

"Speaking of ghosts, yes," Snifit said with thought, as he opened up a can of meat that was provided to them from a bag last night. "I think we will see ghosts very soon in this game."

"Why do you say that?" Tiny asked, looking at him strangely. "Did you find something?" Snifit looked at her, then lifted up an object he removed from his pocket.

"This key will help us." It was the key to the mansion, where their next game was in store.

* * *

**Oh yikies! I would not go in there, Snifit.**

**Anyways, some forest talk for the game of the Mole. I can picture the players just relaxing yet unnerved in the forest. And with the Mole with them, things are just too much.**

**Anyways, thanks for everyone leaving me a review so early into an update! I love replying to you all! Let me see what I see...**

* * *

**fredthemontymole****:** Dungeon Duos! Yah! Why do they not have more long-lengthed games like that awesome creation? Heh, and maybe the switch to a Gamecube made things more nostalgic to you? Because I can relate : ) Anyways, your character theories. Good snuff! And you never know, maybe you're not grabbing TOO far from the straws, sir, because one of them IS the Mole. And you may be right. As for the "pattern" theme you noticed…okay, I'll come clean. It's not completely intentional, but for all I know, perhaps it was intentional on a subconscious level. But it is such a cool thought, that I'm just going to pretend it was an intentional pattern and I'll keep it like that :D

**FrittzyCrazy****:** No doubt you may be good at the game of 3-Door Monty! Have you ever seen a Youtube video of the game? I bet you can beat some of the computers if you tried : 3 Anyways, I'm happy that you have suspect pinpointed! Hopefully one of them is a right pick?

**wendychristensen****:** Becoming smarter from my story? WHAA stop. Right now. If it truly makes you feel smarter, than I'm more than pleasured and honored to hear that : ) You know what? Even I've become smarter by writing these seasons of the Mole? It had truly changed my life. Anyways, whoa! Heavy theorizing, and I must say you did a goob job hitting some points. Some things deeefinitely make sense on what you posted, but I won't say what's right or wrong. Thank you, thank you!

**Perianth****:** Team Treasure Trek! Yes yes. That was the second game I was going to make the players play in this game, but I decided not to. I was planning a POSSIBLE maze game for another future mission idea in the story ; ) that is why I held off using that game Anyways, good suspects! And also, I must say, nice memories on the dreams in Episode 1! Just to say, the meanings of the dreams will probably be revealed sometime near the end or finale! Though they aren't super duper crucial, they are definitely note-worthy and interesting** : ) **Good memory and eye!

**Moley Koopa****: **Ah hehe yay, video clue analyzing! Hmm, I read your points, and they all hold true mentions and possible meanings. Won't say which ones! I hope you liked the intro though! For the things in the video that AREN'T hidden clues: I experimented some cool video effects and were happy for the special effects I found :D It just gives it a whole spy-feel! The scanning effect was all experimentation, too.

**PJCanada****:** Ahh, I do hope this chapter wasn't uploaded so soon! I have realized that my writing of Episode 3 may be the speed of how I had written Episode 1, which was fast as well! (Episode 2 was my only lag delays, now that I look back hehe.) Anyways, your opinion suspicions are much respected! For your two mentioned players, great points brought up and pointed out. Hmm, just which players will reach the final five point? It's an important question for a Mole game. And your story predictions! They are quite great to read as always : ) so I have no doubt those will be fun to read as time goes on! And the word" humble", hahaha! I…can say that word describes me quite a lot x.x.

**Firekai:** Your comment about Mimi and Piantissimo and Final Destination, LOL! Oh dear, I laughed quite heavily, because it's true, death couldn't even catch up to them, hehe. Dungeon Duos, yes yes yes. It was all good and do-able, until...the hot air balloon. WHY DON'T THEY FILL UP NO MATTER HOW WELL I PRESS DEM BUTTONS? And your analysis of doing the game in real life is great! I would completely stink at the dial spinning, be too afraid to attempt the spinning platforms, and just give up at the balloon at the end. Anyways, good suspects indeed! And hopefully the players who got plus ones were ones you liked!

**Elemental Queen****:** You're welcome! Thanks for the review.

**Vivalahomestar****: **Your "moon ceiling" theory…ah, the creativity! That would be such a twist on twists. And I can just imagine the shock on the final three players' faces. You know what, you never know ; ) the ending of this game will be a surprise though, for sure. Anyways, your question is so eye-opening! It's funny, cause I try to MAKE my chapters SHORTER and fight to keep them from being too long, but in the end, sometimes they're long xD. Anyways, I'l be more than happy to give you a few tip siders on how to juice out the games and stories of the Mole! : )

1. It's not that my missions are more complicated: it's that detail is very important! Instead of just inserting the lines of what a character speaks, add side actions and feelings too! For example, what actions do the players do? How do they feel? I'm randomly going to take an excerpt from your Chapter 7 of your Mole story beginning and then add some more details to it : ) hopefully you get a small idea! This is an example:

_"You all can chill back at the hotel or explore the city or something like that," Anderson said to group, facing the players, "but you all have to meet me back at the lobby at 4:00 P.M. sharp! 1,000 coins will be deducted for anybody who's late!" The players all seemed silent and nervous from the host's last line. Some of them, over anything, felt irritated by the repetitive rule._

_"Yet again: Groan!" blurted Wolley with annoyance, shaking his head. Timpani turned to him angrily._

_Timpani:__ Wolly…he just can't seem to get off my nerves with his comments. Someone with an attitude like him will never get far into this game!_

_"Will you learn when to keep your mouth shut!" she snapped to him. Wolley was silent, as Daisy laughed from behind Timpani.w_

See? : ) It's all about including small details when you can!

2. Same thing with locations. Take a paragraph or two to describe how a place looks! For Mushroom City, for example,explain how dazzling and hectic the city is, with all its illuminating lights and crazy traffic.

3. Make each player important. Don't neglect one person in a story just because they aren't important. Every player in a Mole game is important. It's easy to neglect someone just because they're getting executed soon. Every person is important : )

4. Between each mission, I like to include a lot of dialogue time for the players, to develop their characters and inner thoughts : ) For example, talking in a gathering place or in individual places.

Anyways, your story is very great! The Mole is an absolutely awesome show that TOTALLY dominates other shows like Survivor in intelligence (high five :D) so I'm so happy it goes on and on. And over all, I hope my tips helped you a bit!

* * *

**Anyways, the next part will probably be updated on schedule (lol whut, a schedule)?! Just so I can let you all enjoy Episode 3 on a good pace, I'll probably upload it by this Sunday!**

**Also, I've updated part-way into the Missions List on the story Website, so that section isn't awkwardly empty any more, hehe.**

**Just what is left in store of the land of the haunted world? Will the players fight peace, or the opposite, in their next game? All will be seen the next part, as Episode 3 enters its intense stages!**


	14. Pure Trepidation

**Ah, it's funny to say, but I'm a bit happy to know that I didn't lie to you guys, and I indeed updated this chapter by Sunday : ) thank you all for your support! And please enjoy...the beginning of a frightful game.**

* * *

**Episode 3 (Part 4)**

The fireplace turned into a homemade, outdoor grill, and the players were preparing their brunch of surprisingly fresh eggs, stale pieces of toast, and canned meats from their food findings the night before. Zess, who improvised a spatula from a metal can cover, took a breath of relief.

Zess: _Cooking and eating eggs, I felt like we were on a stress-free camping adventure. Things are less scary in the morning, that's for sure! I felt like we could relax…even in a place like this._

Snifit: _It was funny being with the group. I feel like I finally fit in with the group. I kept my distance in Episode 1, for sure. But this Episode...I guess things just changed._

"Snifit!" Zess gasped, seeing the fellow sneak another egg from the grill. Everyone laughed as Piantissimo, who was going for another egg, just stood in disbelief with an empty plate. Then, he just snickered, laughing it off.

"Well, you know what fellas? I wish we had more food," Zess said honestly, seeing the empty carton container beside her.

"We don't have anywhere to go," Tiny said quietly, and she charaded to Snifit the motion of using a key and opening a door. Snifit's eyes widened and he shook his head.

Snifit: _I just wanted to wait a little bit. To see if anything would pop up first._

"Hmm…" Dry Bones was using his binoculars to peer at the mansion in their distance. He was wary of its existence.

"It gives me the creeps," Dry Bones said, turning his eyes away from the mansion's direction. "It's a haunted house."

"Yeah, well, it'll only be a matter of minutes before we have to enter it," Piantissimo snickered, replying to Dry Bones' statement. Snifit, however, jumped at his line.

"I mean, we've only played one mission this episode so far," Tiny realized to the others, "so I think we're still going to have to play one more later on." Everyone nodded at her statement: they were bound for at least one more game, and it would be a threatening one.

"Hey Éclair," Dashell called out, walking to her spot. "I heard you were looking for a towel earlier, so I saved you one!" He smiled, as the princess turned around to face him.

"No…thank you," she said swiftly, and she turned around to face another direction. Dashell stood where he was, face confused.

Dashell: _There was something wrong that morning. I didn't know why Eclair wasn't talking to me. Did I do something bad?_

"Hmm…" Dashell sat down on a rock, shoulders sagging and stirring a cup of hot chocolate.

"So, at least the temperature is nice," Mimi began to the group, looking happy. "I KNEW this haunted house place would be okay." Everyone seemed to agree slightly, and even Dry Bones gave a small nod.

"Yeah, but wait until the sun disappears," Dry Bones said, his mind immediately changing.

"Hey, guys," Snifit began, looking carefully at the others and deciding to speak up. "Do you think we should go to the mansion?" Everyone turned to him, some of them sensing a hint of significance in his voice.

"Nah, staying here is just fine with me!" Zess called out from the grill pit. She was frying pieces of fish for their upcoming remainder of the meal.

"Yeah, I would rather stay here," Piantissimo said, who stopped looking through his binoculars. "I mean, it's not like we have a way of getting into the mansion. It is simply impossible!" Tiny worriedly turned to Snifit at his sentence, and they both looked at each other.

"Well, I think we should…break the news and be on schedule with the game," Tiny said in a decisive voice, facing the others. "We found a key this morning to go into the mansion. But I don't know if it's even a real key or not." Everyone turned to them, surprised at this announcement.

"How do you know it's for the mansion?" Piantissimo asked, stunned at the news.

"There was a note attached to it on the door," Snifit replied. "I found it, by the way."

"Wait, so you actually went up to the house, saw a key and note attached to the door, and came back?" Dry Bones asked in disbelief. "What about the gate blocking the house?"

"It was open," Snifit said, shrugging. Everyone thought for another second.

"Okay…so…" began Dashell, looking at everyone else and their uncertainty. "Why don't we, you know, enter it?"

"I think as a group, we're thinking it's too dangerous to go inside," Snifit thought, looking at the others. "But, we have no where to go, so…"

"I think we should go inside," Eclair said, looking at everyone, "because the key must be there for significance."

"No, it's too dangerous!" came the voice of Zess from the back of the group. She held up her spatula.

"I'm going to stay here and cook some things for the group to eat," she decided, and she opened up a folded lawn chair that they had discovered last night. Dry Bones looked at her nervously, then at the group.

"Errm, I'm going to stay here as well," Dry Bones said, scurrying to her spot. "I'm not too keen on entering the haunted house either."

Piantissimo: _We were split on decisions. Some of us wanted to go into the mansion, and some of us didn't. I, for sure, wanted to enter, because literally every door might hold some sort of upper advantage for me._

"Can we just, all go together?" Mimi pleaded. "We should all enter the house together." Everyone looked at each other, and Zess and Dry Bones stood up.

"Okay, fine," Dry Bones said with a nervous look on his face, "but…I'm not going to be in the front."

* * *

The first thing they all noticed was the thick air in the house, the humidity of the large structure they had just entered hitting them all one by one. It was a large mansion, and it was a grand staircase that was the second thing that greeted the players.

"I don't want to be in the back either!" Dry Bones moaned, as the group of players entered the mansion for the first time. Snifit closed the doors behind the players.

"Oh!" Éclair gasped, spider webs in the hallway making her stumble. Piantissimo, at the front, swiped them away with a bag he was carrying.

"What's that bag for?" Dashell asked him.

"You never know what we'll need," Piantissimo replied, "This bag holds a tent, a flashlight, and some other things that might be useful in here."

"Umm, it's not like we're going to be camping here," Tiny said with a small laugh of nervousness.

"Hey, young folks," Zess said a little unsurely, turning the entire group's direction to her. She had a note in her hands, as she held it up for the players to read.

"I found this right here on the floor. This might be for us." Everyone gathered on the piece of paper.

_**The clock is going to strike 2PM very soon. That is the equivalence of night.**_

_**And when that strikes, your game will begin soon, full of great wonder, full of great fright.**_

"Oh dear," Zess said, smiling with incredulity and looking at a grandfather clock on the other wall of the mansion. "Well, will you look at the time!" The group of players turned to the antique clock, unnerved by the time displayed by the majestic device: 1:55pm.

"It is so soon," Éclair gasped. "Will we begin our game in just five minutes from now?"

"FIVE MINUTES?!" Mimi exclaimed. "That's not even enough time to do my makeup!"

"What will you need makeup for," Piantissimo ridiculed, "when you're being chased by a bunch of ghosts?"

"Shh...guys." The air was completely silent in the enormous main room of the eerie mansion.

At that second, the lights in the entire mansion began to violently flash off one by one, every light in each corner of the grand staircase rapidly shutting off individually as if spirits themselves were blowing them out in vicious manner. The players were caught off guard, some of them stumbling one way and others stumbling the other.

"Ah, stop!" Mimi cried, being knocked off her feet by the entire running crowd.

"What's going on?" Tiny shouted, looking around her location, but there were only dim lights in the room that could enable her to see.

"Something's pulling me!" Piantissimo cried, trying to keep his place on the ground. "Something is definitely pulling me!" Everyone faced the player, and saw that indeed, his motions towards the air were not in the ordinary. They were all flabbergasted, confused and running around, full of fright.

Tiny: _It was the craziest scene in the world. I didn't know what was going on._

Dashel: _Just horror. Pure horror. It was a scene straight from a horror movie, and it was definitely real._

"Please help!" was the fearful cry of Éclair, and her legs were lifted off from the ground, levitating in the air. The players gasped.

"Éclair!" Dashell cried, reaching out to her. Without warning, her body soared through the air, knocking into Dry Bones' head as it flew by as Dry Bones was swept off his feet.

"Oomph!" Hit in the head, Dry Bones dizzily fell to the ground.

Snifit: _Throughout my life, I have been trained to stay calm in tough situations. I had taken meditation and cognitive relaxation courses. So in a way, I felt destined...this was my moment to suceeed._

"Flashlight!" Snifit, within the panic of it all, snapped into action. He saw Piantissimo, being lifted into the air as well, and as his bag was directly above Snifit in the air, it dropped. Snifit with a shout ducked to the ground.

"Mmphm!" He had taken the full force of the bag that fell upon him, but he was more relieved that hurt. Opening the bag before him, he took out the flashlight that existed inside.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream rang through the air, as the sound of someone being pulled across the carpet was heard from his ears.

"Ah!" Snifit flashed it on, then shined it around the room with slight panic.

It was silence.

"He…hello?" he asked, his voice shaking. He was all alone.

"Turn that off," came a voice from his side, and it was Zess, making her way to his location and shielding her eyes from the bright light. She walked her way over to him from the staircase, dazed and shaking her own head.

Zess: _I was very surprised to know that Snifit and I were the only survivors! It was as if a large plague epidemic swiped through the mansion and got rid of the rest of the players. Since when did I have the skills to survive?_

"Where's…everyone else?" Snifit gasped.

"If I knew, do you think I'd be calm enough to tell you?" Zess asked herself, looking around in the dark light. "I'm scared as a bat!"

"Do…you have an idea where they went?" Snifit asked, still overwhelmed.

"Well, with Éclair flying in the air like a bat, and Dry Bones being dragged down the hallway," Zess recalled, bewildered herself, "I don't think there's much left of anyone here." The two of them, alone in the center of the room, looked around.

"Ugh….what WAS that?" It was Mimi's voice, getting up from the floor next to the stairs.

"Mimi!" Mimi made her way over to them, the light in the large room being minimal as they stood together.

"Where did you come from?!" Zess exclaimed with surprise, dusting the leftover dust on the little girl.

"I was knocked to the ground! Rudely," she replied. All of a sudden, they heard a noise, as if an object in their room was still moving.

"Oh gee…" Snifit said, his hand shaking as he moved his flashlight towards the direction of the movements and sounds. All of a sudden, there was a large flash of light.

"AHH!" All three of them screamed, and then slowly turned back to their normal, still-unnerved state. It was Dashell, shining a light with his own flashlight. Dashell just stood there, dumbfounded, finding three of his teammates. Snifit, Zess, and Mimi just sighed.

"I kept one in my pocket," Dashell explained, looking at it. "Just in case." They all seemed more relieved than anything, but they were alone.

"Well, now what?" Zess said in an irritated voice. "We can't do much with half of our crew gone!"

"Maybe they're not gone," Snifit said quietly. "Maybe we have to find them." Then, as the two flashlights shined across the large interior of the mansion, they saw a message, glowing in green light across the entire wall of one of the entrance room's side. They stepped back in shock, then they read the rules in silence.

_**Mission 7: The Haunted Getaway**_

_**Goal: Escape this house. 5,000 coins a soul. Escape before 3: this is your goal.**_

* * *

"Huh…uhh, my head," Dry Bones moaned, waking up from the ground. He found himself in the longest and most plain of hallways, not knowing where he was. He shook his head vigorously, then stood up to keep his balance.

"Pianti…." He made out the shape of the player above him, his purple gloves being the first thing that shined up to him first. Groggily, he stood up.

"Hey, Piantissimo," Dry Bones said, looking above him. "I think I found…." He stared up at the ceiling in terror, as Piantissimo stood up. He was on the ceiling.

"AHHH!" Dry Bones screamed, backing against the walls. "What's going onn!?"Piantissimo jumped to his feet, and realized with terror that something was wrong: he looked up at Dry Bones, and saw him standing on his own set of ground.

"Dry Bones, get down!" He shouted, backing against his own wall in fear. Dry Bones, to his view, was standing on the ceiling. They were both silent for a second, in pure misconception and terror.

"It's...an illusion," Dry Bones gasped and concluded, as the two of them stood in silence.

"What do you mean?" Piantissimo demanded with horror, staring above him baffled and not believing what he was seeing.

"I think…" began Dry Bones, "we're both in completely separate rooms. But the ceiling is a video projection of each other, reversed, to make it look like we are walking together on opposite gravity poles."

"Hum." Piantissimo's eyes relaxed and gleamed slightly with interest. "Then this is quite a perfect and extraordinary case. I am more intrigued than frightened." Dry Bones just kept looking up, unnerved.

"Piantissimo, can we just work our way to get out of here?"

* * *

Spider webs in the air could not be untouched, and a large window was seen in their room, the last touches of sunlight shining through it. All of a sudden, Tiny's eyes opened.

Tiny: _First, I was walking. Then the next thing I remembered, it was darkness. I really didn't know what was going on._

"I'm…I'm okay," Tiny stuttered, her eyes wide. "Phew..." From right beside her, Éclair rose from her unconsciousness, her hair ruffled and face confused. She faced Tiny Kong.

"Tiny, where are we?" Eclair asked, standing up and looking at her odd and bare surroundings. "Where are the others?" Tiny shook her head.

"I can...only guess one thing: we're separated from them, and located somewhere else in this mansion," Tiny guessed, looking around. Feeling misfortuned, the two girls reflected.

"I remember Dashell grabbing out for me..." Eclair said softly, looking down. Then, she then felt something on the side of her pants.

"What's this?" Eclair reached into her pocket, feeling a piece of paper in her pocket. Both females looked at it with wide-eyes: it was the rules of the game.

"Oh." They read it together in silence.

_Escape this house quickly, and money you'll get. Don't pass your test, and your soul we'll forget._

"Huh….escape?" Tiny asked with confusion. "And what tests are they talking about?"

"I…am uncertain." They both looked at their mysterious surroundings, and it was their roof that was the big giveaway to their location. It was a pointed ceiling, as if part of their roof was not simply a normal ceiling. They were in the attic of the mansion.

* * *

"That candelabrum is just perfect," Zess said, admiring the metal device in Snifit's hand. It was a large candle, and it illuminated the hallway that the players were walking through.

"It sets the bad mood," Snifit unfortunately noticed, carrying the candle that was almost as big as him.

"Wait, stop." Dashell blocked the others from crossing a path in the hallway, as everyone turned to him, confused.

"I…don't think we should go this way," he began, looking at the group.

"Wait, what's wrong with this path?" Mimi asked, confused. "It looks perfectly safe!" Dashell shook his head.

"Let's turn around," he said, and he began his way backwards, as everyone followed him in confusion. Snifit, holding the large candle, followed after him.

"Okay…" The players reached another path in a side hallway, and they saw that is split into two paths, a sight which none of them had ever seen in a normal house before. The players were stunned at the sight.

"Ah!" All of a sudden, a latch opened from the ceiling, and a piece of paper simply floated down to Mimi's feet. Mimi picked it up, reading it out to the others.

"'Two go one way, two go the other'…" Mimi read out loud. "Umm, the hallways? Is that it?" All the teammates looked at each other.

"I trust Zess," Mimi started, "because she is the most energetic and determined one here." Zess smiled at the girl's statement, and then nodded.

"Okay, I guess us two ladies will be going one way," Zess stated. Snifit turned to Dashell, and they both looked content and ready to begin their own hallway trek.

"Okay, then I guess we're together," Dashell, taking a ready breath. "We can do this." Snifit only made a sound.

"Just, umm, Dashell?" Snifit asked, looking meekly up at Dashell. "Before we go together, can you do something?"

"Yeah?" Dashell replied, confused.

"Can you hold this? It's a little heavy." Snifit handed him the heavy set of candles to him.

* * *

"Hold it," Piantissimo said suddenly, stopping Dry Bones as well from opening the door they had reached with walking, in his own unusual parallel world. Dry Bones saw what his partner had seen as well: a golden plaque besides each of their own doors had sentences inscribed on them.

"Huh." Above the plaque, a word was written, scratched into the wooden wall: **REFLECTION GAME**. Dry Bones began reading the message below it.

"_To win this game, partner's reflection you must be,"_ Dry Bones read, his eyes squinting in the dark to read the message. _"Follow each other, for that is the key_". There was another line below that.

"_Make one wrong move, and a failure you'll see."_ Piantissimo huffed, looking over the message again.

Piantissimo: _Riddles…my weak point in this game that reminds me that the game of the Mole is not all physical ability…which if it was, would make this game so much easier._

"I guess we have to decipher this, no?" he said with a shrug. He reached for his door knob.

"Wait one second," Dry Bones called, reaching out for his own door knob too. "I think I get a clue of what the game is about." He paused for a second.

"Reflection?" Dry Bones asked, voice confused. He looked up at Piantissimo above him, the game running through his head.

Dry Bones: _Suddenly, I got it! It was like that moment in a game where I immediately understood the game's task._

"I think it's the mirror," Dry Bones said, looking up. "Get it? We have to do the same things on each other's hallways! Like, our ceiling is our mirror! I mean, what else can reflection mean in this game?" Piantissimo looked up, and saw that the ceiling above him, if Dry Bones' body were to magically morph into the image of his own, certainly would have appeared as a mirror's reflection.

Piantissimo: _All of a sudden, it made complete sense! I thought the message was something useless. Like, how half the things are on this game. But now we got it._

"Wow, that was a close one," Piantissimo said, laughing little bit in relief. As both Piantissimo and Dry Bones looked past the doors they had both opened, they saw a long, red-shaded hallway path. Dry Bones gulped.

"So…basically we have to reflect each other, by doing the same exact moves, except on our each sides of the hallway?" Piantissimo voiced with concern.

"Yes," Dry Bones said, nervously staying still.

"Then…" Piantissimo thought, thinking heavily, and then he jumped up, answer in mind. "Oh, it is simple! Our steps must be synchronized! That is how we get to the end." He lifted his left foot.

"Elaborate, please," Dry Bones said, still unsure of their next moves.

"Dry Bones, when I say go," Piantissimo ordered strongly, looking carefully at the supernatural reflection above him. "I want you to lift your left foot as well with me. And we're both going to step forward at the same time, like a reflection." Dry Bones nodded, looking above him at the simulated mirror of Piantissimo.

"Okay, left foot?" Dry Bones asked, smiling nervously. "I got this."

Dry Bones: _I trusted Piantissimo with all my heart. As I lifted that left foot to reflect him, I put all my trust into him._

Piantissimo: _Everything was going to plan. Everything was going PERFECTLY, and I mean perfectly, to plan._

"Your left foot, and my left foot," Dry Bones said, ready.

"Ready?" Piantissimo's voice was confident.

"Yep," Dry Bones replied. "Count the countdown!"Nodding confidently, he lifted his foot as well.

"One….two…"Both left feet of the players in the pair of hallways were ready to step.

"Three!" Piantissimo stepped forwards, his body entering existence into the hallway before him.

"Three!" was Dry Bones' own call, taking a foot step less than half of a second later than Piantissimo did. Both left feet stepped forwards, almost at the same exact time.

One of their bodies disappeared.

* * *

"The door!" Tiny pointed to the door before them, pointing the door out to Éclair. "That's our escape!" It was the door that led out of the attic they were entrapped in. Éclair walked towards it.

All of a sudden, there was a loud creak, as Éclair stepped back with horror. Eclair fell back with a scream, as her foot fell through a piece of the flooring. She stumbled back to safety, as Tiny looked with a stunned face.

"It is not safe," Tiny realized. "If we walk, we will fall." She stared at the created hole before her.

"Tiny, what are we supposed to do!" Eclair exclaimed. Her face was overwhelmed with fear.

"This is our only way," Tiny said fearfuly, putting her hand on Eclair's shoulder. "I don't think there's any other way out of this attic. I don't want to do this either."

Tiny: _I knew we were both scared, but the team, our money, and even ourselves depended on this. I didn't know the exact right way to cross the floor, however. Nothing in this game is extremely easy._

"Look!" Seeing a message scratched into the wood of their floor, the two of them read it in fear.

**CRACKED FLOOR GAME**

_With each step you take, a word's needed, no same. How do you say "Mole" different ways in this game? _

_Speak out loud, and say no repeats, or air you will feel beneath your feet._

"Okay," Tiny began, slowly thinking, taking in the lines. She stared at the wood floor before her.

"Words," she whispered with wonder. "That's it. We need to say words." Eclair looked confused.

"I do not understand," she said.

"Each step, we have to say a word that matches close to the meaning of 'Mole'," Tiny decided. "So, when we take a step, we must say a word out loud." Tiny's face looked certain. The two of them looked out at the path before them.

Tiny: _Even I was in disbelief on how the game worked. Was this really the answer? And how would it detect our voices? It was all just suspicious._

"If that is the answer to this task, then we must do it," Éclair said. Tiny nodded, looking at the floor before her.

"I'll go first," Tiny decided, facing Éclair. "I know you had a close encounter with falling earlier, so if our theory on this game is wrong, then it's only fair that...I take a stumble too." She smiled lightly, as did Éclair.

"Thank you," she replied. Then, Tiny looked at the wooden floor, taking a deep breath.

"Okay," Tiny began in a nervous voice, thinking of a direct word in her head. She lifted her foot into the air.

"Saboteur!" she claimed, and she stepped her foot on the ground. Tiny closed her eyes, as Eclair had a worried look on her face. But nothing happened, and they both sighed with relief.

"I...did it," Tiny whispered, her voice relaxing more. She turned around.

"Éclair," Tiny said, facing her. "It's your turn. It's safe; just think of a word as fast as you can and step forwards." Éclair nodded, listening to her.

"Okay," Éclair nodded, stepping forwards and closing her eyes. Then, she said out loud a word of her own.

"Agent!"

* * *

"What….on earth is this?" Zess and Tiny found themselves in a large room, brighter than all the previous rooms or hallways they had encountered within the mansion. They stared at the object in front of them.

"A banquet room," Zess said with a nod, taking in all the food on the large table in front of them. It was a large pile of fruits, vegetables, and other assortments, scattered upon the table. Mimi went up to the food, looking at it carefully

"Is it safe?" Mimi asked with perplexity. "Or is this…"

"I'll be the judge of this food, and whether it's poisoned or not," Zess said with a smirk, but when she said it, she worried just lightly.

Zess: _What if it really was poisoned? Oh no! Then we'd never finish this game…or our lives, for that matter._

"Oh Zess, with your organic food skills, you'll probably live until 100…at least," Mimi said happily. Suddenly, they came across a sign stand at the end of the table, presenting itself before the plethora of food on the table.

**FOOD GAME**

_Follow my riddle:_

_It was eaten by a Mole, and punched by a loser_

_Think back to your past, and be the food chooser._

_Eat the right food, in one minute. Pick a wrong, and you're out of this game._

"Oh…I don't like the sound of that at all," Mimi cried, looking wide-eyed.

"Think girl, think," Zess said, scavenging among the food on the table. She went through the piles of food, fruits, vegetables, pastries, various meats, and even the silverware. Mimi looked at the riddle before her, confused.

"Eaten by a Mole…a Mole of this game?" Mimi said, panicked.

"I don't think so," Zess said, her hands running through the food piece by piece. She picked up an apple, the first food located at the very beginning end of the majestic table.

"I can swear that it's referring to another Mole. The line below it gives us the clue! 'Think back to your past'. So...the first Mole ever...Toadette! What did she eat?" Mimi nodded with understanding.

"And the loser was…Blooper!" she voiced. She began searching the dinner table as well, plates of food hitting the floor of the table. All of sudden, one of the candles upon the dinner table blew out, and Zess' eyes went wide.

"Six candles!" Zess realized, seeing the smoke-emitting candle. "A candle is going to shut off every ten seconds!"

"I didn't know our game began already!" A few seconds later, another candle went out, and the two of them knew they were running out of time.

* * *

Snifit and Dashell looked at each other, before entering the room for their stage of the mansion.

"Are you ready…?" Snifit said, about to open the door before them. Dashell thought for a second, still carrying the candle which was handed to him by Snifit.

"Yeah…what else can we do?" Dashell said with a huff, still holding the candelabrum. "We can't go backwards."

"Not if we want to win." Snifit shrugged, as Dashell opened the door to the room.

It was a bare room. The walls were solid, green-shaded like the rest of the house. On the opposite side of them, another door was located, and below them, the floor was carpeted. It was as if a spare bedroom in the mansion had been stripped off its furniture, and Dashell and Snifit just stared at its center.

"It says, 'Stand Here'", Snifit whispered, even though Dashell could see it as well. It was a small square, and the phrase was centered directly upon it.

"Huh…okay," Dashell said, walking up to it. Snifit didn't budge, as Dashell noticed.

"What's wrong?" Dashell asked. Snifit shook his head.

Snifit: _When something says to stand somewhere…it's probably a sign not to stand there._

"It's locked," Dashell said, demonstrating to Snifit their incapable ability of escaping the room. "We have to stand in the center, man."

Snifit: _All right. I guess Dashell was correct._

The two players stood in the outline of the box in the center of the room, and the lights began to dim just the tiniest bit. Holding the candle, Dashell waved it around in the air to light each corner of the rom. Snifit looked carefully around at the room, wondering what their next moves would be. But nothing appeared. Instead, a sound boomed from a corner of the ceiling, as they both jumped slightly and looked towards the source of audio.

"THE THOUGHTLESS ROOM," it boomed, the voice echoing in the tiny room of both Snifit and Dashell. Dashell held his candle closer to the light.

"_Your mind waves now are being measured," _sang the voice, the sound sending shivers down both of their spines. _"And when you're still, all is treasured. For the more you think…the more you lose. Just think too much…and….you'll no longer…."_ The sound shut off.

"Huh?" Dashell said, facing Snifit. But Snifit's face was silent, all except for an expression of silent fear on his face. Dashell looked at him weirdly.

"Hey Snifit, are you…okay?"

"Don't…" Snifit gasped, as he stood rigid.

"Don't what?" Dashell said, his voice genuinely concerned.

"Don't think." The two words suddenly shut up Dashell, and he looked around the room.

"Don't think," Snifit repeated, voice more urgent and commanding. "Stop looking around, Dashell." Dashell stood still, fear running through his body.

"Snifit, I don't know what's going-AH!" He clutched over, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. As Dashell looked up at him in disbelief, Snifit's eyes turned wide with fear, but he remained still, not even looking at Dashell.

"I…" There was a reason it was called the thoughtless room, and it was the worst room in the entire mansion.

* * *

"I can't think of anything Blooper punched!" Mimi cried, as the third candle shut off on the dinner table. Over a hundred pieces of food were still remaining on the table, and Zess, panicked, looked through them all.

"Wait…" Zess started, thinking to the past games.

Zess: _I knew there was something up. Because in my mind, I always pictured Wario being a puncher, and never Blooper. Then, it clicked._

"No no no!" she exclaimed with realization, looking through the food on the table more with her hands. "It's something that Wario punched! Something that Toadette ate, and Wario punched!"

"Oh my gosh…" Mimi gasped. "Is it…" Zess nodded, and the two females of different ages almost communicated telepathically. They both knew the answer.

* * *

"Spy!"

"Traitor!"

"Emissary!" It was Tiny's step, and she took it with heavy uncertainty and terror as her foot landed on the wooden floor. Her body did not fall through, as she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh good," she sighed heavily, looking down at her feet with a smile. "Emissary was a right word."

Tiny: _We had to say these words that synonymized with 'Mole', and as long as we had enough words, we were safe with our steps along the floor. Also, we had realized: there was a three-minute timer on our door._

"Three minutes…" Tiny said quietly, feeling sure in her next action. She was one step away from the door of the attic.

"Éclair, we're almost there! The time limit is going to expire any second!" she called out to her teammate, who was only a few feet back. But Éclair held a look of fear on her face, as she shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Tiny asked, not sensing the caution in their situation.

"Tiny, I do not know any more words," Éclair said in a desperate voice. Tiny gasped, and her eyes looking at her panicked.

Tiny: _I had to save my teammate. But, the problem was...I had a word saved for myself, and I didn't want her to use it. Because I needed to take one more step to reach my door as well._

"Éclair, what if you used a phrase that meant for the other use of the word 'Mole'?" Tiny suggested, thinking fast. "Like, the mole as a mark on the body?" Éclair looked at her, unsure.

"Are you sure that will work for me?" Eclair asked,, standing in her place ont he wooden floor in fear.

"Well….I don't know if it's right, but it's better than nothing," Tiny said, looking unsure, "but I still don't know." Éclair closed her eyes to think.

"I have no other choice," Éclair said decisively, and she smile the tiniest bit at Tiny. "I will try it." She took a deep breath, and raised her foot.

"Birthmark!" Éclair called out. "I will say birthmark!" And when she said her word, she stepped forwards, hoping that the floor would her foot, and she would make it safely to the attic's door. It didn't.

"AHHH!" As her entire body fell through the wooden attic floor with a scream, Tiny ran to her spot, the floor below Tiny's own feet apparently not breaking anymore. The curse of the shatter had already been disabled from the incorrect word.

"ECLAIR!" Tiny knelt down at the large hole which had formed in the ground feet before her. But Éclair was still existing.

"Tiny…what happened?" Her body had been saved by stringy pieces of transparent cords, and just seconds later, both realized that Éclair was entangled in the largest spider web of the entire mansion.

"That must have been a wrong word!" Tiny said, her voiced panicked. Realizing what she was entabled in, Éclair screamed.

"Tiny...please help me!" Eclair shouted, her hands stuck in place from the spider web's sticky and grotesque outer lining.

"I'll help you out!" Tiny shouted, getting a leftover plank from the broke crater of wood and holding it out to her. "Grab on!"

Tiny: _I did not think a giant spider was going to come and get Éclair…but you had to make sure. That's why I was so adamant on getting her out._

"I cannot reach!" Eclair pleaded. "I cannot reach! Please help me, Tiny!" Tiny's face looked frightened but determined.

"Don't worry, I'll pull you up in time!" Tiny said forcefully, grabbing a longer piece of shattered wood by her side.

"Please move the wood closer," Éclair pleaded, reaching her hand up from inside the spider web, one that was slowly sucking in her body farther and farther from Tiny's position. Tiny reached her plank of wood as far as she could down.

"I…I can't," Tiny whispered, seeing the impossible situation before her and eyes looking sad. "I can't even reach you, Éclair." Suddenly, there was a final phrase, one coming out from the mouth of the princess who was slowly becoming overtaken in the treacherous webs of the game, which sank lower and lower into the darkness.

"The time limit!" Éclair gasped, and her body was gone. Tiny gasped.

"Oh no…" Tiny breathed with panic, turning around completely and facing the exit of her door in alarm.

Tiny: _Then I had realized: I had completely forgotten about the time limit. I ran as fast as I could back._

Running forwards across the remainder floor of the attic, Tiny reached her door, grabbing and twisting the knob of the door just five seconds after the timer had closed it.

But it was too late. The door was locked. She was locked within the attic. They had lost.

* * *

"Yams…zucchini…" Mimi cried, searching through the food before her. "I have no idea!" Zess turned to her, her mind racing.

"Hold on a second...yams...zuchinni?"

Zess: _I have read cook books all my life. And I KNOW exactly why that order of vegetables struck out to me so significantly._

"Wait!" Zess stopped her food hunting, noticing something significant, just as the fourth candle blew out. On the end of one table, in the collection of various apples, Zess saw the answer to the table's order.

"Apples on one side of the end….zucchinis on the other…" Zess immediately jumped up.

Zess: _And all of a sudden, I__ knew the answer before a lion could pounce on a juicy steak. Why didn't I think of it before when I saw the apple in the first place!_

"It's alphabetical!" she exclaimed. "It's alphabetical! The foods are all alphabetical on this darn table!" Determined, Zess ran to the other end of the gigantic table, and began her action of scavenging among the foods near a section of the beginning of a table. Mimi looked confused.

"Where is that?" Mimi asked, walking over to her. "What's so special?"

"If this section is for the letter D," Zess said, her hands throwing things behind her in the air and hitting so far into the wall, "then…then…" Her eyes shined with happiness: it was a durian, half open.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see a durian," Zess said, laughing, and then she picked up. The fifth candle on the dinner table blew out.

"Quick!" Both she and Mimi grabbed a clump each.

"Okay, but I won't like this," Mimi groaned, making a face. She and Zess both held their pieces of food together, and in an instant, right before the last candle went out, they had eaten their pieces of fruits.

* * *

Snifit: _I used my medidating and mind-clearing experience. So I simply stood there. Almost in a trance. I pretended, not too far from the truth, that my entire life depended on this. I needed to cleanse my thoughts and mind to move on._

Dashell: _Other than not being able to think, I didn't know the point of the game. It was tough._

It was all silent. As the time went, the candle in Dashell's hands seeming to glow more, as the room got darker.

Suddenly, they heard a clicking noise from the direction of the door. Snifit and Dashell faced each other, then looked back at the unlocked door. Dashell breathed out in relief.

"Are we done….?" Snifit asked, then let out a heavy sigh, relieved at the ending of their game. He looked at Dashel, who had a triumphant image in his face.

Snifit: _We had done it. And really…I was just a little proud in myself. Though, since it's not good to feel pride…I'll just say that I'm happy we finished the game._

However, their bodies were still within the detection of the dangerous room.

"Think of what the others will say when we tell them about this tale," Dashell said, his voice full of confidence and victory. He looked at Snifit, and grinned.

"Yeah," Snifit said, smiling as well and looking at Dashell.

"Éclair would be really proud." Dashell nodded, slowly.

"Éclair…." Dashell suddenly gasped for air, leaning forwards.

"Éclair…" he gasped, voice in a half-choke. "GAHH!" He fell to the ground, clutching his stomach in extreme agony, as Snifit stepped back with horror and trepidation.

"The rule is still active," Snifit whispered, his voice rising in fear. All of a sudden, he felt a jolting pain in the center of his stomach as well.

"Ahh!" When Dashell fell forwards, his body suddenly vanished, as if it was made out of electricity and existed no more. His hand letting go, the candelabrum fell to the floor.

It shattered on the floor in the process. Before Snifit could react, the carpet before him was lit on fire.

* * *

**Oh dear... **

**That was not how I wanted to end the chapter. With one of the players in imminent danger.**

**Alnd yes, the fire that was lit before Snifit...was one-hundred percent real to the players. Things just don't go as expected. Just how will Snifit fare his room? How did EVERYONE even fare their tests and rooms in this terrible game of fate and games? Who will escape the mansion...if anybody?**

**Before that, I will reply to your wonderful reviews! : )**

* * *

**Vivalahomestar****:** You welcome-elcome! I have gotten through the first half of your chapter (Im yet to review xD) and I must say, you really improved that chapter with writing! Even when you write future stories in the future, I hope the tips go on, and you'll definitely get better with the more you write : ) And what you said about Dry Bones…right? I even remembered in the latest Mario Party installment, he was even designed to boss the haunted castle stage. So, it's just so curious! But it just leave more suspicion…is it his genuine fear, or all an act?

**Shilo Burbans****:** Whoa nelly! Big assumptions and mysteries, I see I see! Your reviews are so cryptic too! : o Though it's good lol, a bit hard to follow, but I think I get them haha. An entire player removed from your list, just who can it be? A mystery in itself! But I like it xD Anyways, great reviews and top 3 suspects list, Mr. Shilo! : ) just how will those three suspects fare? Even in the haunted house game?

**wendychristensen****:** I've ALWAYS wanted the players to hit a haunted house place. It just adds creepiness to a Mole atmosphere, and it worked! Yes, Snifit probably loved the game of I Spy as a kid, no wonder he's so good xD Yes yes! Zess and Mimi, with such opposite ages, are able to connect with each other! That is the pure point. And your theorizing on the dialogue between Piantissimo/Éclair is very interesting. You did bring up things to think about, that's for sure : ) anyways, thanks so much for your review!

**fredthemontymole****:** Lol oh goodness! –runs for the hills- Nah, your review was awesome xD Ah, good theories, good theories! And nice word choices too…I can't help but say, I burst into laughter reading "toilet handle" in your review, because in honesty, if I found a toilet handle on the floor in real life, I'd think something was wrong with the gravity in this world. Ah, your mention of Kathryn in Season 1, she was brilliant in her Fortress game mission. What a trooper with her broken gun! And also, I like pineapple soufflé greatly! Is that a possible foreshadow that you'll make me one in the future? : 3

**Luigenius****:** Ah, hello hello! How have you been doing, the one and only Luigenius? It is quite great to see you : ) ah, thanks so much for reading so quickly up to date! Hopefully it wasn't too much of a hassle heh! But that's great, and I got to see your thought process through the whole story! Okay, let me do little breakdowns of each of your reviews:

WHY'D YOU HATE FLURRIE? Lol, can't pick on that, though she was one of the most kind players of the game heh. Ah, you have good points in your suspects! You did good analyzations on them : ) They made me see from your point of view. Thanks for noticing the players connections! It makes me happy, and I must admit…the connections are a lot heavier and stronger than they were in Sabotuer's Island or Traitor Aboard. Oh, and finally…your entire line about being a magician with my writing…made me grin to no end and I thank you for that compliment : ) heh, I guess I do try to pull some tricks on you guys, but in a good way! Anyways, your reviews made me smile greatly and I thank you for them, Luigi genius!

**Ice Empoleon:** Oh darn, the game experts do get eliminated early! D: First Boo, and now the smart fellow Bowser Jr….perhaps if I were to ever enter a Mole game, I would hide my knowledge of the game just to not fall under that curse, hehe. Anyways, reading over the story again, I kinda heavily agree on you about Bowser Jr's suspicion. He was that kind of guy that me MYSELF would have probably picked as the Mole. He had that cool, enthusiastic, sometimes whiny, yet smart attitude that fit with a Mole well. Ah, oh well…I guess he was a good saint. Anyways, once again, good list of sabotages, which never fail! And yes yes! I am limiting each episode to 5 chapters each. Never more, or less, just to budget time, heh.

**Moley Koopa****:** Oh I DID say there were no clues in Spy Among Authors, but there were? xD. Haha! Ugh, I was such a troll back then. Can't believe I pulled that, lol. Anyways, ooh, a top 3 favorite players list! You know what, I always silently make "favorite character lists" in my own head, but then it just makes me feel guilty about the others hehe. Though I must agree, Dry Bone is a player who is definitely in my top selection of favoritos xP

**FireKai****:** I am so thankful that they never brought those inevitable Bowser board areas back after the first Mario Party! Gee, like, they were unavoidable at times, and you were forced to do the stupid actions before Bowser that would cost you coins (e.g. on Peach's birthday cake, you had to eat the spiked cake… -.-). Anyways, when you said Big Boo on the MP4 board, I literally jumped up with glee. I ONLY SAW IT ONCE TOO! It was like, a rare treasure I shall never see again…hmm, maybe I should play? Ah, your elimination predictions, it may be true or it may be not! : o It is always tense before an execution…and that is what the next fateful chapter will be.

**Elemental Queen****:** Hehe! Well you see, on a quiz, there is only ONE question based on gender on the quizzes. As much as your score is lowered by one if you pick the wrong choice, there are 9 more questions on the quiz you could redeem and survive yourself on : ) Thanks for "virtually" imagining yourself taking the quiz!

**PJCanada****:** Ahaha, yes! Mimi does seem to play off her spoiled part, and I wanted to see her in that scene. I simply imagined her in that scene, and thought, "What would she be doing during a wood collecting scene?...ah, of course! Not collecting any."Haha! Im glad you enjoyed that : ) And everything else about your review, ooh! Right in the intelligence kicker with that awesome dialogue analyzing! Actually, thanks for analyzing those certain dialogues, whatnot xD I'm happy that you looked into those, because I was hoping some readers would as they read Chapter 13 in particular! Kudos to your breaking down of the scenes, very much! Because you did a mighty fine well job.

* * *

**Okay, guys! A NEW POLL is up on my profile, so be sure to give in your votes! I shall reveal the results at the end of the next chapter! Since there are less players, you are only allowed to vote for your top _two_ suspects of the game. Vote away : )**

**Poll: Episode 3: Eight limbs left: Who is the true traitor of The Mole: Agent's Elevation?**

**Thanks guys, and I shall update the final part of Episode 3 before this week ends (yus yus!) Please all be prepared for the final results of this game…and the next surprising execution.**


	15. The Startling Elimination

**The final part of Episode 3!**** I am so sorry for the delay! I did remember my statement of posting it by the end of last week...ah, I take the blame xD**

**Please enjoy this dramatic final part of the game...and what lies in store of it all.**

* * *

**Episode 3 (Final Part)**

"Huh-OOMPH!" One player, who had escaped his hallway, crashed right into two others which had hurried out of their own assortment of rooms. It was a relieving moment, and when they all shook their heads, they knew who each other were.

"Piantissimo, you're alive!" Mimi shouted, and in an instant of surprise, she ran up to the player and hugged him in relief. Piantissimo took the hug in pure astonishment.

"Whaa?" was his dazed reaction. Zess just faced him with a look of her own, stunned at his sudden arrival.

"Where'd you come from?" Zess gasped. "You look petrified!"

"I remember Dry Bones and I playing this game…and I think Dry Bone screwed up…and then..." He shook his head, trying to remember. "Now I'm here!"

"Boy, you tell me the rest of your story later, but for the time being, we gotta GO!" Zess hollered, looking at a grandfather in the middle of the eerie hallway they had all met up in. The time spoke out to them: 1:56PM.

"FIRE!" cried the voice of someone running down an end of the hallway, and it was the last person they would have expected to yell out in a loud voice. Snifit ran down a portion of the hallway, his body trudging against the carpeted floor until he lost his footing and fell. The others rushed to him.

"Sni…fit?" Piantissimo uttered, his face twisted in disbelief.

Piantissimo: _Snifit, the most calm and collected person, was running in terror for his life? This…was not a good sign for any of us. Not even in one bit._

"Snifit, what happened?" Zess said, shaking him up to his feet. "Tell us!" Snifit didn't say a word for a second, then spoke, his eyes in fear.

"Fire," was all he said, and then pointed down the hallway from where he had come from. It was already visible to all of them, the yellow reflections of light that shone from around the hallway bend like the morning sun of the sky, but after a few seconds, the flickers of flame came into view.

"Dashell dropped the candelabrum he was holding earlier," Snifit explained to them in panic, and Zess and Mimi gasped in a dread of knowing terror, "And now…now it's spreading."

"Oh dear…" All four players gasped as they saw the sight before them: the glowing fire that had grown within a section of the mansion was now in full rage, and as they stared in more horror, they knew that time was dead far from their side.

"That way!" Mimi said, pointing towards a mansion's end.

"There's a dead end on that side," Piantissimo informed them, his eyes panicked and pointing to the opposite, fireless end of the hallway they were in. "I passed by there. We…can't go that way." The fire was now crackling the old wood of the house, and a portion of the ceiling fell from above the fire.

"The fire's coming closer!" Mimi cried, grabbing onto Zess. "What do we do!" Everyone's eyes panicked, and Snifit's did as well. But the difference was that he was thinking hard, and amidst his fear, answers were able to spring up one by one.

"We all met up here…" Snifit sounded silently, thinking heavily and hitting his head. "We all met up here….there has to be a meaning."

"What do you mean?" Zess asked him, listening to him carefully, "that we all met up here, Snifit? We need to know your answer!" As the red flames came more into the view of their very area, Snifit jumped up.

"This must be the ending of the game, since we all ended here…so the exit must be near here." He looked at a door just a few feet away from him, chained with a lock.

"That door is locked!" Piantissimo said to him urgently, looking at it as well. "I saw it before! We can't get through a locked door!" But without a word, Snifit took out the key from his pocket: the very key that he had used to open the door of the mansion in the very beginning of the game. He looked at his teammates.

"Not unless you have a key." All four players ran to the door, their feet bringing them as quickly as they could.

"Hurry!" The chain on the lock was thick, and it took a moment for Snifit to find the keyhole of the metal contraption. The fire, which was started none other than in his own room, was reaching their very carpet.

"I can barely breathe!" Zess cried, coughing, as the smoke finally reached them all. All four players were hit by the smoke in the entrapped hallway, and the flames made the area deathly hotter. They were near their final chances of survival.

"I…I'm trying…" Snifit gasped, struggling to fit the key into the lock.

"We're going to die!" wailed Mimi, grabbing onto Snifit.

"Ah!" Piantissimo kicked at the chain, attempting to break it himself. But it was useless, and all four players were at the end of their ropes of life.

"I…almost…got it!" It was almost futile, their attempts.

But then, there was a sound.

_Click! _It was first an unbelievable click, and then an unraveling of chains.

"Ah!" Snifit fell forwards…and the door opened. The four players stumbled out, all falling to the floor, feeling the grass that existed across the mansion's back. They could not be more relieved to feel fresh air.

"Oh…my gosh…" Mimi cried softly, falling down onto the dead forest grass. They crawled out of the open door, just as the smoke had made the hallway an oxygen-deprived death zone. They were on the ground, escaped, and they all looked at each other. Zess, opening her eyes to the dark peaceful air, looked up.

"The mansion…." Zess pointed. They all looked back at the entire wall of the mansion they exited from in shock and curiosity: it was a metal wall, with little gears on its back that created it to be the horrifying experience which they had just went through. It was all just a simulated creation, or at least half of the appearance it was supposed to be, but the true face was that it was a fake…like everything else in their entire game.

"That…seemed so real," Mimi said, her eyes wide with shock. Then, she faced Snifit.

"Snifit, you saved us!" was her next yell, and she ran up to the unprepared player, who took the hug with sudden bliss and embarrassment. Snifit was knocked to the floor, and Zess laughed.

Mimi: _We did it…I did it...Snifit did it...Zess did it...even Piantissimo did it! We just…all won the game together and we were just awesome. We got out of the mansion alive._

"Well, we owe our lives to this little man," Zess said, going up to the player herself. Snifit looked up at his teammates.

"Thanks," he said bashfully, and he was holding something up in the air that had saved them all: the key.

* * *

"Well you see, if it wasn't for Snifit's fast rushing, we wouldn't have escaped," Zess explained the story to the others. Snifit only sat next to her, a look of content feelings on his face.

"Oh really?" Tiny said, laughing a little bit herself in relief at her teammates' safety.

"Well, I guess Snifit knew that chained door was unlockable after all," Piantissimo said, dazed and turning to him.

"Snifittt," Mimi said in a playful-cooing voice, and the player shuffled just a bit to his right with a shy smile.

Tiny: _I was just happy they were safe. Because I knew this challenge was just a dangerous trap in total._

It wasn't long before McHallyboo gathered the players to explain to them what exactly happened in their dangerous game. The mansion, the zone of their seventh mission of their precarious game, was the biggest nightmare they had experienced since their adventure's beginning. But not everything was real.

"The…flames were fake," McHallyboo explained, looking a little hesitant in revealing it to the players. "Which means, if you were consumed by the flames in the mansion, you would have just been teleported out." The four survivors couldn't help but breath the hugest sigh of relief.

Zess: _Of course the flames were fake….EVERYTHING is fake in this game…but no matter how many times we knew, we had to be continuously reminded of it._

"Wait, teleported?" Dry Bones said, looking at the host with incredulity. "Our bodies could teleport? Since…when?" Everyone turned to the host with curiosity at his line.

"If this is all real," Eclair said, looking around at the world of the forest above, beside, and underneath her, "then this building's ability…to make us teleport…does not surprise me." Dashell nodded with agreement.

"It's one of those things that make me realize just how mysterious this technology is," Dashell spoke with thought.

"How mysterious this world is," Snifit whispered.

"So Snifit, you happened to find one of the three exits hidden in the entire mansion," McHallyboo explained to the players. "There were two other doors in the hallway, but you guessed luckily on the door you tried. And brought three other people with you." Zess, Mimi, and Piantissimo all looked appreciatively at the player in red.

"Hear hear for Snifit!" Zess announced out loud.

Dry Bones: _How does Snifit find the exit out of nowhere in the building? There couldn't have been anything to see within that smoke. He's completely the Mole! Suspicious of him from Day 1, and I haven't told anyone that._

"Though we all contributed, the four of us individually," Piantissimo spoke with a shrug, "let us congratulate Snifit for this case, for making the final save." Everyone clapped with victory together, and it was a win for the entire team.

"With five thousand coins per players," McHallyboo said, facing them, "you add 20,000 coins to the team pot!" The players were all grateful together as the pot's contribution, and with the nightmares over, they had won enough money to celebrate as a group. It was a successful finish.

**Team Pot**

_**95,000 COINS**_

"Of course, not everyone made it…to the end," McHallyboo reminded everyone. "Let us begin with…these two." They were already paired together as McHallyboo called them out, and everyone turned to Dry Bones and Piantissimo. They looked at the host with surprise.

"Would you like to know what happened, during your Reflection game?" McHallyboo asked.

"I think I know," Dry Bones said with disturbed memory, his mind recollecting to the last moments of his existence in the mansion. "I was whisked away before I knew it! When we lost our game…for some reason." His face still looked the slightest of perplexed.

"And…do you know why?" the host asked them slowly. Piantissimo looked at Dry Bones, who just looked back with the heaviest of shrugs and uncertainty displayed on his face.

"Your test was to reflect each other," the host explained, as everything in the group listened to the host's words. "And…when you took your first step…you both lifted your left foot." It took a second before Piantissimo and Dry Bones both realized their mistake.

"Left foot…oh." Piantissimo hit his face with his palm, realizing his error.

Piantissimo: _I had actually let Dry Bones to make that wrong step. I guess it shows that I'm not fully perfect._

"What!" Dry Bones exclaimed. "I swear that…" But Dry Bones didn't have any words. Piantissimo folded his arms, as Dry Bones was stunned with surprise.

Dry Bones: _Piantissimo directed with that wrong move. It just caused out team to lose in total._

"And as you know, everything in a mirror is _reflected_," the host went on. "So, one of you should have lifted their right foot instead, thus, making a correct reflection. Since you both made that error, Dry Bones was eliminated."

Zess: _Why, I would have known straight away to make a reflection movement. The name of the game was 'The Reflection Game'. I'm surprised that neither Dry Bones or Piantissimo knew that they had to reflect their actions._

"Well, with that known, let us continue to…Éclair and Tiny…" McHallyboo said, looking at the other two players of the second test. "Both of you trapped in a web of lies…or at least Éclair was." Éclair shuddered with displeasure, then spoke.

"We had to cross a floor, but it was a cracked floor," Éclair explained, "Each time we stepped, we had to say a synonym of the word 'Mole' for every time we did so. We were successful…until I took a wrong step and fell through the attic floor." Everyone looked at her, startled.

"The reason you fell," McHallyboo explained, "was because Éclair, you said a wrong synonym for the word Mole. The rules indirectly stated that you needed definition for the way the word 'Mole' was used in _this_ game. But you gave a definition of the birthmark Mole." Éclair looked surprised, while Tiny looked down.

Tiny: _I think I had told Éclair to use that definition of the word 'Mole'. I didn't think it was 100 percent guaranteed to work, but I thought it would at least stand a chance!_

Mimi: _Those two girls are sabotaging left and right. I bet they could have worked it together to cross better! Maybe the Mole was in action among them._

"Also, there was a time limit to the door," McHallyboo went on, "and Tiny, you were unable to get out in time. You missed your door timer by just five seconds."

"Yes…" she began, shrugging. "But I did it to save Éclair. It was completely reasonable."

Snifit: _Why did Tiny go back to save Éclair from the spider web? It seemed that she was already long gone and unrescuable at that point. _

"Well, nothing to fret," McHallyboo said, shrugging, and the air was still and peaceful in the front of the mansion. "You guys won a lot of money." Looking at the host, Dashell seemed surprised at the host's ending of statements.

Dashell: _I was kind of surprised McHallyboo didn't mention anything about my sabotage in the game. He kind of skipped over me…but maybe I would have liked it. I want to appear more suspicious in this game, don't I?_

"Are me and you the ONLY people who didn't sabotage this game?" Mimi whispered to Zess in amazement. "That just makes us the best here."

Mimi: _I mean, it was me and Zess who just added ten thousand coins to the team. Nobody even acknowledged it. In fact, we deserved to be acknowledged over everyone else! McHallyboo...did not give us enough credit. Oh well, at least I know we did good._

"Congratulations, players," the Mole said. They all stood and looked at each other, as a group upon the front steps of the mansion. It was nighttime…or at least the sky was dark. With the moon high above them and Boo Manor shining brilliantly, they knew that Episode 3 was nearly over. Nearly.

The next execution was what was only left in store.

* * *

"I think you're equally blame-worthy…not correcting me to reflect your action," Piantissimo directed to Dry Bones, as the group of players were packing their camping equipment for the next day. It was daylight in the forest, and their quiz would be taking place that very night. For the meantime, however, they were getting their thoughts of the previous night out of their mouths.

"Blameworthy? " Dry Bones said defensively. "You ordered me wrong. That's…quite…Mole-ish." Piantissimo's voice was slightly irate, but still calm.

"Blaming others as the Mole to hide your own self, huh?" Piantissimo replied to him. Dry Bones faced him with a perplexed look.

"I've been trying to win our games and earn so much since Episode 1, adding so much money to the pot. Who was the first one to win money in the Leap of Truth?" Piantissimo pointed to himself, and his voice was arrogant.

Zess: _His arrogant character…he'll never survive in this game! But how has he made it all the way to the third episode? People like him usually don't survive long at all._

"Everyone's messed up a little bit, Mr. Slippery shoes," Mimi giggled from a nearby rock, relaxing and reading a magazine. "Like you."

"And you have as well…camera-rigger," Piantissimo replied. Mimi put down the magazine she was reading.

"WHAT?" she explained.

"So you guys just blame each other?" Tiny asked, on her own side of the camping side, trying to take down a tent. "What if someone you're blaming in this game just made a genuine mistake? Won't you feel bad accusing them?"

"Not if they accuse you too," Dry Bones replied, looking confident in his righteous answer. Tiny rolled her eyes.

"Well, whatever," Tiny said, not looking bothered. "I'm just saying, we're all just attacking each other strongly in this game, when…we don't have to." She folded her sleeping bag.

"She's right," came the voice of Zess, coming out of the tent and surprising the others. "You can't lose your sense of humanity in this game! If you want to go on." She turned to Snifit, who was busy putting away the ashes from their fireplace in the camp place's center.

"That little fellow," Zess said, pointing to him, "is an example of what we should all be." Snifit turned away in humiliation.

Snifit: _I didn't like to be praised for things. But they kept on praising me!_

"I'm…going to go over there," Snifit said, looking for a right place to deposit the ashes from their previous forest stay. Zess watched him go, hands on her hips. Dry Bones did too, looking at him strangely.

Dry Bones: _And just there out of nowhere! Snifit just walks off…to nowhere. Like, as if he has some secret mission to do. I've had my Mole eyes on that guy since Episode 1._

"That fellow will baffle me to the end of our game...even after it's all over," Dry Bones sighed, flabbergasted.

Zess: _I know there's a Mole in this game. But even still, I'm just all happy and dappy._

* * *

"Éclair, can we talk?" came the voice of Dashell, as Éclair was looking out into the forest trees. Replying, Éclair didn't bother to turn around. The two of them were in the middle of the woods, secluded from the others and sepearated from everything and everyone around them.

"About what, Dashell?"

"There's one thing when someone doesn't talk to someone else because they're too busy during a mission," Dashell began, talking to her. "But when they deliberately try to avoid the other person…then I know something is wrong." Éclair still didn't turn around.

"What is it, huh?" Dashell said with exasperation. "Is it the game? Has your strategy changed? Because if it has, just don't act as if nothing happened. I'll respect that." He looked stricken with words. "Just…please say something."

"Who devised the plan for Dry Bones to go steal the megaphone?" Éclair suddenly asked, turning around. Dashell was struck with surprise and silence.

"I…well…"

"Because I have heavy suspicions that it was you, Dashell, who came up with that plan," Éclair said to him. Dashell was lost for words, as Éclair looked away, hurt.

"Why did you to lie to me?"

"I…Éclair, you have to understand," he spoke, turning away from her. "There are reasons why I lied to you. But I just can't say them now. That'll just…that goes against my own gameplay." He looked at Eclair, choosing his words carefully.

"As much as I like people…as much as I like you…I have to focus on myself the most." The two of them didn't say anything for a second.

"I do like you," Eclair began, "But perhaps it is best…if we stay away from each other more. I am saying this because I have lost trust in you." The words hit like daggers to Dashell, but he only looked at her.

"I'm sorry that you trusted me in this game," Dashell said heavily, "and I'm sorry that I trusted you too. This is the game of the Mole, and we can't trust anybody, can we?" He looked at her, and she looked at him back.

"Good luck on the quiz, Dashell," Éclair said, her eyes slowly forming tears. She turned around, her green dress glistening and camouflaging in the woods, and she seemed to want to say something to Dashell. But instead, she then took motion, walking backwards and right past Dashell who watched her disappear into the forest.

Éclair:_ To lose in trust in someone is a terrible feeling is a painful one…and that is what I sensed between Dashell and I._

Dashell: _And just like that, I knew you were meant to play the game of the Mole alone._

* * *

Snifit made his way across the forest, looking back at the eerie structure that had nearly destroyed them just the night before. The mansion glowed in the distance.

"Hmm." He had already trekked a lengthy distance into the forest, making way around trees which blocked his path and forced him to maneuver his way across branches and piles of mud. He almost tripped on one branch, but then caught his balance with his other hand.

"It's somewhere here…" he whispered to himself. Finally, he reached the edge of the forest. It was a black endless horizon, darker than the nighttime in Boo Manor's land.

"Is it…." His eyes sharpened and bit with unknowing and scared feeling, seeing it. Right before the edge of the land was an object, white-colored and contrasting so differently from the dark colors of the forest. Snifit approached the white box, and then took the key from inside his pocket. He read the label on the box's top once again.

_Return the key's mansion here for an exemption on the next quiz._

Snifit opened the lid, and then dropped the key into the box as a metal clang was heard. Then, looking around just a little cautiously, he returned back to meet the others.

* * *

"Nope," Dry Bones said, eating down on another slice of the prepared St. Honore cake, as the players ate within the lit and beautiful dining room of the mansion.

"I'm not ready for the quiz either," Tiny sighed, her elbows on the table. "Especially in this location. It's gloomier than the rest of it…I just feel jinxed already being here." The host nodded at the player's answers.

"Mimi, you seem very happy at this dinner table," the host noticed, seeing Mimi looking down at her dessert in glee. Mimi just gleamed back at him.

"You see McHallyboo, this is the room where Zess and I completely won the Food test during the mission," Mimi pointed out, looking at the others. "So since we didn't sabotage, that automatically means that we CAN'T be the Mole." Snifit almost choked on his cake, hearing Mimi's statement.

Snifit: _That was the most incorrect statement I had ever heard. The Mole could absolutely help the team as well._

"You can still be the Mole, even if you don't sabotage a game," Piantissimo said with disbelief at her statement. Mimi turned her head defiantly.

"Well, I just wanted to point out that neither Zess or I sabotaged, and thus it makes us both likely of NOT being the saboteur," Mimi declared, and her mouth formed into a smile again.

"Snifit, would you like to share with the others what you had discovered in the forest today?" Snifit's face suddenly ducked down, as everyone turned to him with heavy surprise.

Tiny: _It was like déjà vu. First, the mansion key…then an exemption in the forest? What?_

"I have to, don't I?" Snifit said with a low voice. The host nodded.

"Okay," Snifit began. "So I was just slowly trekking through the forest, just minding my own business...when suddenly…I just…you know…" Everyone tried to follow his trails of words, but got lost.

"Exemption," Dashell finished, picking at his food. He had been privy to the forest exchange. Snifit bowed his head again.

"That's where you were in the morning!" Tiny realized, feeling stupid. "You were busy searching for things…and I guess you found something after all."

"Hey, don't feel bad, you little man," Zess said, patting the fellow on the back. "You're more adventurous and exploring than the rest of us, and for that, you extremely deserve it."

Zess: _Snifit deserved an exemption…but I deserved a nice cold bath over everyone else. I just didn't know when I'd get one._

"Thank you," Snifit said humbly.

Dry Bones: _Where does Snifit find these exemption offers? Where did he find that guy? Where does he find HALF of these things that I can't even spot? I'm shocked at his intelligence…and appalled at mine._

"So, finishing this third episode…how have things been different?" McHallyboo voiced to the group. "Do you feel like your strategy has changed? Have you found new people to trust? New people to distrust?" Hearing his line, Éclair looked at her dinner plate.

"I believe...we all have changed our gameplays at one point," Éclair said quietly, and Dashell looked at her. "Perhaps for the better." She put on one of her red earrings, but just faced down at the table.

Dashell: _Things are extremely sad and mucky. Not going to lie. But even so, I still have other people on my side who can help me. For example, Snifit's on my side. He's been giving me a lot of his valuable insights on who the Mole is, and I trust him…Mole or not._

Piantissimo: _I have to be quite honest: after Bowser Jr, I've kind of lost a connection with other people. If I don't find a friend or teammate soon, I might just be alone from now on. It is pretty scary to be like that in this game._

"My gameplay changed, meeting people like Zess, Tiny, and others, and becoming better friends with them," Mimi declared, giving a wink to her friends.

"You've also made enemies easily, haven't you?" Piantissimo joked. Mimi stared at him with incredulity, but this time, not as seriously. She almost smiled back at the player's jest.

"Best of luck," McHallyboo said, raising a candelabrum in the air. "And, don't burn out." Snifit and Dashell could shake their heads in misery at the host's statement.

* * *

The dining hallway so big that each player was only sequestered to the opposite side of the grand eating room to begin their quiz of the game. It was situated on a small table, meant for side dishes and perhaps leftover cakes. But now, it was the focus of their meal.

Snifit, diffidently holding his exemption in his hand, began the first question of the quiz.

_**1. The Mole is:**_

_**-Male**_

_**-Female**_

Even though he had his exemption, he was still trying his best on the quiz for his existence in the game. He scanned over Question 2, and clicked an answer.

_**2. Which minigames did the Mole participate in during Minigame Madness?**_

_**-Mushroom Mixup and Dungeon Duos**_

_**-Lava Tile Isle and Three-Door Monty**_

Snifit: _A lot of suspicious things happened during the minigames. We had people who we bet on to win that lost unexpectedly. Piantissimo, for example, fell seconds after Lava Tile Isle had began…and he is always the best at games._

Eclair began her quiz with heavy thought. She reached Question 3 on the quiz and clicked an answer on the screen.

_**3. Did the Mole win or receive a plus one during their participation in the Minigames?**_

_**-Won and received +1**_

_**-Won but didn't receive +1**_

_**-Did not win a minigame**_

Éclair:_ I now look back and see things Dashell had done. In the Dungeon Duos game, he was the one who tried the hardest to win the game. Him winning meant that the team lost money…and he had won._

The next person to take the quiz was Zess, and she sat down, eyeing the quiz carefully before taking it.

_**4. Did the Mole leave during the room in between the minigames of Minigame Madness?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Zess: _Now, I can't believe for a second that Dry Bones didn't know to reflect his foot. He's smarter than that he looks, because his personality hides it. Mixed with his actions during the minigames, he's is a suspect for this quiz._

_**5. How many bags did the Mole individually retrieve to the campsite on the first night of Boo's Manor?**_

_**-One**_

_**-Two**_

_**-Three**_

_**-None**_

Dry Bones looked at Question 5 nervously, trying to remember the events of the night of terror to his best ability.

Dry Bones: _I think…I know who the Mole is, but I just have to vote a few quizzes on this person, and if I stay, I stay! Right now my biggest suspect has to be Snifit…in fact, the Mole has to be him! Since first day, when he didn't talk to me._

_(flashback __**Snifit **__in Episode 1)_: "Umm, Snifit. It's nice to make your acquaintance."_ (Dry Bones looks at his suspicious demeanor_)

Dashell looked at Question 6, his eyes focusing strongly on the answers of the question.

_**6. Which test did the Mole endure within the mansion during the mission of Haunted Getaway?**_

_**-The Reflection Test**_

_**-The Cracked Floor Test**_

_**-The Food Test**_

_**-The Thoughtless Test**_

Dashell: _I think Snifit did something very questionable when I was partnered with him. He gave me the candelabrum…knowing full well that we would have to play a game test later on. And the candle just happened to burn the whole building up. That was fishy. I trust him, but…it was questionable._

Looking at the question with heavy thought and confusion, Piantissimo answered Question 7 of the laptop quiz before her.

_**7. Did the Mole's group in the beginning of Mission 7 initially begin with two people or four people?**_

_**-Two**_

_**-Four**_

Piantissimo: _Tiny Kong didn't have to save Éclair, for crying out loud. Like when she fell through the floor, the princess was already long gone from the game. And Tiny could have just ran to the finish, instead of waste time like that. It just all seemed too suspicious._

_**8. Did the Mole escape from the mansion in time?**_

_**-Yes**_

_**-No**_

Tiny shook her head, thinking of the options and choices for Question 8 of the quiz.

Tiny: _A lot of people don't suspect Zess as the Mole, and that really kind of scares me, because I don't either. What if she really is the Mole? She's not as old as she seems at all. She could almost just be as young as any of us mentally._

It was Mimi who took her quiz last, and as she answered Question 9, she did with a small smile.

_**9. Did the Mole get a Journal Number higher or lower than the Number 5?**_

_**-Higher**_

_**-Lower**_

_**-The Mole has Journal 5**_

Mimi: _I wrote in my journal last episode, "Heehee, I'm the Mole". And so hopefully someone saw it last week, and thinks that I, Mimi, am the Mole. And if they did…oh well. It's their fault, and not mine. This game is about surviving to the end!_

It was Question 10 that began the soon-to-be most execution of the game.

_**10. Who is the Mole?**_

_**-Dashell**_

_**-Dry Bones**_

_**-Éclair**_

_**-Mimi**_

_**-Piantissimo**_

_**-Snifit**_

_**-Tiny**_

_**-Zess**_

* * *

They were in the grand hall of the mansion. Almost every light of the mansion was flicked on, and every candle was lit for the ceremony of the players. From outside, it seemed like a glowing sight to witness, as if the sun itself was in the mansion's walls. But there was no sun: it was dark, just like the end of Episode 3 was destined to be.

Dashell: _Something about this execution did not seem right. I think things were just going to get worse in this game…and this was the moment._

McHallyboo lifted his own large candle into the air. Next to him, a television screen was seated on an oversized antique table.

"Welcome players, to your third execution of the game," the host announced, his voice echoing into the players' ears through the vast mansion. "You all just took…the third quiz. And what a determining quiz it will be." He placed the candle down in his hand down, and then took a seat himself in the chair beside it.

"The player who scored the lowest on the quiz will be executed from the game," the host voiced. "If the screen turned green after your name…then you are safe. If it turns red…" He looked at the bright screen beside him.

"You are the Mole's 3rd victim. You must leave this mansion….this building….and this game." With understanding thoughts and feeling, the players nodded.

"Good luck, players." Execution 3 began.

"First…" McHallyboo asked, looking at the row of players before him. Everyone seemed still.

"Mimi," spoke the host, as the player looked at the host, a ready look on her face as she watched each letter enter in. She was nervous, but smiling as her name was present.

"Hopefully she is the executed one," Piantissimo said in a joking whisper.

**M-I-M-I**

…

…

…

…

…

**RED**

"Oh no!" Mimi covered her face, hit by the red screen. Everyone gasped, the screen the shade of red. Piantissimo sat, stunned and taken back.

"First name…?" Snifit voiced out loud, shock in his voice. "Im…possible." Execution 3 had ended, and the victim, with unexpected timing, had been taken. Zess covered her mouth, looking sorry besides the girl.

"I am sorry, Mimi, but you are the Mole's third victim." Mimi buried her head, then after a few small seconds, she looked back at the host.

"Oh well…" she said, standing up with flair and walking off to her bag, then turning around to look at the players.

"You guys will all miss me," Mimi spoke, and there was a little bit of taunt in her voice as she smiled with her sentence. Then, swiftly, she turned away to follow the host and walked off.

"Wow…" Dry Bones gulped. Everyone turned to each other, faces in incredulity.

* * *

"McHallyboo, I enjoyed this game SO much," Mimi told the host, as the two of them walked down the rest of the mansion, towards its exit. "You have no idea. I had so much fun!" She was carrying her own bag this time, as they walked across the marble floor of the staircase room.

"You seemed surprised at your execution, but surprisingly had a smile on your face," the host noticed. Mimi smiled, knowing that the host had watched her before her downfall.

"Well, yes," Mimi told the host. "When you fall, you're supposed to smile!" She looked at the camera to state her sentence.

"I'm not a big baby or anything." She laughed.

* * *

"What an extraordinary girl," Zess said, shaking her head. "Extraordinary girl. She brought a lot of fun and taste into the game, and I just can't fathom how she did it!" Zess shook her head again in disbelief.

"I'm just so shocked to see her go."

"You know, this is going to sound funny and unbelievable," Piantissimo began, "but I'm going to miss her dramatic moments." Everyone listened with surprise at the player's sentence, but they all felt the same: the group would miss all of Mimi's antics.

"Her dramatic moments…wow!" Dry Bones said, his thoughts going back to Mission 1. "When we had to jump together…boy, did she increase the drama in that scene big time."

_Flashback __**Mimi: **__(sulking_)_"My partner is a coward. I'm jumping, and he's not even doing it! And I'm just a dainty little girl." (jumps off the cliff with a scream_)

"My favorite memory…shopping," Éclair told the others, from her seat. "She was the one who was very happy choosing those earrings. She must have liked them a lot...and now I do not blame her for choosing them."

_Flashback __**Mimi:**__ (in the shop)_ _Crescent-shape earrings! See, everyone knows I like to wear fancy stuff, so this has to be good for me! And it's so cheap too! _

"It's so strange…," Snifit thought. "We know now that she wasn't sabotaging that game." When he said that, everyone turned to him in thought.

"See, once someone is executed…we look at their actions and realize they were innocent," Snifit explained to the others. "And that will probably happen again and again, until the final execution."

* * *

"Favorite memory, Mimi?" the host asked, as they opened the gigantic set of doors of the mansion. As Mimi stepped outside on the cold ground, she thought for a second.

"Hmm," she began, and then smiled slyly at the host. "I did my own share of sabotages in the game. Won't say what they were, but they were definitely fun. I was playing the Mole in my own game!" She giggled, and the host, looking just a bit surprised, laughed as well.

"Well, perhaps it was good we got rid of you," the host said with a smile. "We wouldn't want the team to lose that much money…especially since a Mole is already there."

* * *

"I do believe…truly…" Zess said, facing the others, "that we will all, even just the tiniest bit, miss her dramatic scenes in this game. Because on top of that, she was a brilliant girl." Everyone nodded, and even Piantissimo moved his head a little bit.

"Heh," Piantissimo laughed a little bit. "Yeah. That exemption game." Everyone laughed at the events from their second episode.

"She was definitely either sabotaging that game on purpose or just being herself," Piantissimo quietly said. "Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all." Then even quieter, he added something else.

"Maybe I was the only bad one in that game after all."

* * *

The host and the ex-player were at the bottom of the stairs, leading down from the mansion before them.

"Well, Mimi, thank you," McHallyboo said, and she smiled back to him, holding her bag.

"You're welcome!" she stated, staring at the host with happiness. "Thanks for being so awesome of a host, McHalyboo!"

"My pleasure," the host replied gratefully. And with that, he closed the mansion's doors.

* * *

The remaining players in the room were struck with the aftermath of the execution. Recovering from the event that just happened, they sat among their chairs.

"Wow…Mimi…" sighed Tiny, looking at the others. "Well, there's just seven of us left, right? I guess we're all just glad we're still here." Everyone nodded, but they were interrupted by loud footsteps. It was the host, walking across the grand stair room and making his way back to the players.

"Players," he announced to them, looking at the confused group. "I believe…there has been a mistake." The players looked at him, alert once again.

"Huh?" They faced up, looking strangely at the host's odd words.

"Since there are only a maximum of six players allowed for the beginning of Episode 4…" host went on, "we must…acknowledge a change for the game." And suddenly, a chill went down Dashell's spine.

Dashell: _All of a sudden, it all suddenly made sense. I knew there was a meaning in the seven lights, above the elevator door…because there were only seven episodes. Not enough for only one person to go each episode. Which only meant…_

"The lights..." Dashell sounded, almost in a half gasp.

"Wait…" began Dry Bones slowly. "Are you saying…" He looked at the host with disbelief.

"Yes," McHallyboo said. "Only six can move on. We will…have to eliminate one more player." A feeling of unexpected dread swooped over each of the seven players, and they were in shock.

Tiny: _I just couldn't even believe McHallyboo's words. I couldn't even comprehend what he said._

"A double execution?" Snifit exclaimed, as everyone turned to one another.

"You're kidding me," Tiny sighed, face in disbelief at the host's words as she looked down.

"No, you can't do that!" Zess said, looking at the host with incredulity. "You're out of your mind, McHallyboo!" The host simply stood where he was.

"I'm afraid we must." Hearing the news, Ecalir closed her eyes.

Éclair: _It was a feeling of trepidation that was within us all at the same time. We believed that we would all go on, and succeed. And now… one more of us had to leave._

"All plus ones, and exemptions," McHallyboo said slowly, facing first Éclair, then Dashell, and then Snifit, "have been used up in Execution 3." Snifit's face was frozen.

"They no longer exist. This is now…would you say…another new elimination round. You are all at risk." Everyone faced each other with shushed panic.

"Then we are all equal," Zess said with misfortune.

Tiny: _After we were all settled…thinking that I would go into Episode 4, my game was at risk again. This was a mind trip._

"I...can't fathom this," Piantissimo said, eyes struck with worry. "I cannot leave this episode. It is not possible!"

Piantissimo: _There was a sudden fear for my life in this game. For I, at this point, thought that Mimi could have been the Mole. So perhaps I had failed this quiz._

"If Snifit's not the Mole…I'm dead," Dry Bones gasped under his breath. "I went all out on him." Snifit turned to the players behind him with confused amazement.

"Of course…this is not any normal elimination," McHallyboo spoke to the players, among their distress. "Perhaps I shall leave the option to you all…to choose." And then, from out of his large, object-containing coat pocket, he placed something directly upon the TV monitor table. The object, a bag that made a heavy thud on the elegant table it was placed upon, was seen by all seven remaining players.

"In this bag is twenty-thousand real, pure coins," the host said, "And if you leave the game, you take it." The players were stunned in their chairs.

"Right…right this second?" Dry Bones stuttered. McHallyboo nodded.

"What?" Tiny Kong gasped, looking at the others.

"Oh gee…it is temptation," Piantissimo said, staring at the cash before him with disbelief.

Piantissimo: _It was not easy. There was the cash, right in front of you. But you did not want to leave the game._

"Oh, then it's obvious!" Zess shouted. "Somebody should take it!" She laughed and looked at the others, who were frozen in their seats individually.

"If we take the money, then we are no longer in the game, yes?" Éclair confirmed with concern. McHallyboo nodded.

"Then I'm not doing it," Dashell said, sitting back into his chair, putting his feet on the empty chair in front of it. "Not me. I'm not taking it and leaving this game." Everyone looked at the decisive player.

"Someone has to do it," Dry Bones said to the others, looking at the bag nervously. "Otherwise, there's just going to be a regular execution!" McHallyboo nodded with confirmation.

"Nobody?" McHallyboo questioned, and there was a moment of silence. But after another round of silent seconds, none of the seven players stood up to claim it. But some of them were close.

"I see…" All of a sudden, instead of sitting down, McHallyboo reached back into the inside of his coat to the surprise of the players. Another bag, smaller than the previous bag but still hefty in size, was place next to the other one.

"Thirty thousand coins," McHallyboo announced, and the players were overwhelmed with disbelief.

Tiny Kong: _Thirty…thousand coins…to self-execute yourself. This was the most excruciating and stressful moment of the entire game. I didn't know what to do._

"This is killing me," Tiny Kong said with disbelief, covering her eyes.

"Oh man." Zess said, looking at the others, then back at the bag.

Zess: _That was a large amount of cash! And it could keep me secure for a long while!_ _But if I took it….hasta la vista, game!_

"I do not like this temptation," Dry Bones said, unamused and ducking his head. "I hate this."

"Guaranteed cash," Piantissimo said in a low whisper, and Dry Bones heard him.

"No, no, no…" Dry Bones repeated to himself. He looked at the cash once again before him, looked away, and back at the cash again.

Dry Bones: _The money…it was right there. And it could have been mine any second. All I had to do was reach out and touch it. It was mine._

"It is unimaginable…this offer…" Éclair stated, looking at the money before her with worry. Dashell shook his head, at the entire situation.

Éclair: _In thought, I decided I would not do it. It is not right to win money, if you are not the winner. It was a very tempting offer…but it was wrong to take._

"Well…" began the host, and he looked at each player before him. Nobody was standing up, and the bribe offer was coming to an end.

"Going once…" began McHallyboo, as everyone winced.

"Not taking it," Dashell confirmed, looking away. Éclair looked at Dashell, who shook his head. He was resolute.

"I…don't know," Dry Bones said softly.

"Twice…" McHallyboo began. Everyone stared at the cash on the money, and then at the host.

"It's…it's right there…" Dry Bones uttered, his hands on the sides of his chair. His body was lifting off his seat slowly.

"Once…twice…" Then, there was a sudden sound, and it was the sudden plop of money from McHallyboo's hand. It was the largest sound yet, and the largest bag of money, seemingly as big as the first bag of money which was situated upon the table.

"Fifty thousand coins." There was a gasp of silence, as the players took in the vast amount of money being offered right before their eyes.

"Ah, I can't take it!" Dry Bones shouted, facing away with overwhelmed anxiety.

And then, there was a voice.

"I will accept it." And everyone looked at the player in absolute shock.

"Wait…whu-whut?" Dry Bones stuttered, watching the volunteered player walk by with shock. The rest of the players were speechless beyond words.

"Yep. I'll take it." Snifit, arisen from his seat, walked to where the host was. McHallyboo grinned and held one of the bags of money up to Snifit. In an instant, Snifit grabbed the bag into his hand. Then, he faced forwards. The surprised group faced him back.

"Thank you, Snifit, for taking the offer," the host announced.

"You're...you are welcome."

_BRIBE TAKER: SNIFIT_

_OFFER: 50,000 COINS_

"Snifit, you have come forward to take the bribe of 50,000 coins," the host said. "You are a voluntary elimination from this game, you know that?"

"But it also means I'm not a victim of the Mole," Snifit replied, almost a little in humble proudness. He faced the others in their seats.

"Hmm…you're probably all curious why I took this, I guess," Snifit began, shrugging a little with his sentence. "I feel like I did what I was meant to do in this game. And that was to find myself, as well as find other people in this world who I could become comfortable with." Everyone listened to his final words.

"But…why did you take the bribe?" Éclair asked, in shock with everyone else. Snifit stood still for a moment, then with a nod, he shrugged again.

"I guess no matter how well you think you did on a quiz," Snifit said to them all, "the only person who will ever find comfort in this game is the Mole. And evidently…I'm not the Mole."

Dry Bones: _I just lost 50,000 coins…and Snifit is not the Mole. This was the worst night of my entire life in this game._

"Well, what's done is done," McHallyboo concluded, and he opened his arm out to the other bags upon the table. "Please, follow me."

"Yes sir." Snifit grabbed the bags, all totaling about to the grand total of the bribe, and then followed McHallyboo out of the mansion in silence. The players were dumbfounded and left to themselves. Episode 3 was finally over.

"I…cannot believe the unexpected sight that just occurred before my eyes," Piantissimo admitted to the others.

* * *

"Snifit, you're going home from an execution richer than any other contestant had on this show…" McHallyboo told him, carrying his bag while Snifit held his own valuable bags from the ceremony.

"Are you going to miss this game? Do you think you made the right choice?"

"Well, ever since Episode 1, there has never been such a thing as right or wrong, has there?" Snifit told the host with rectitude. "That's up for personal reflection. But personally, I felt like it was a good way to exit this game." He was looking behind him as he said his sentence, back at the hallway which had separated himself from the game. Snifit faced the host again.

"I'm actually…very satisfied to have taken this offer McHallyboo." He looked at the host honestly.

"Sure, I'll miss this game greatly. But something about the Episode 3 mark made me happy. I feel like I made it far enough to have made an impact."

"I think…you've also made a shocking impact on the players on your last second existing in the game," McHallyboo told him with a heavy grin. "An impact you have made, Snifit…from the silent start to the grand end."

* * *

"I…I'm kind of lost for words," Dashell told the group. He looked at the empty seat before him.

"I was like…two seconds away from taking that cash," Piantissimo said, still in disbelief. "I cannot believe that Snifit took that bribe." He gave out an audible sigh and faced the floor. Dry Bones, looking around, was still flabbergasted.

"He's not the Mole?" Dry Bones uttered for the second time that night.

"I guess not," Tiny said, trying to refresh herself from the dramatic event, though still shocked. "That…was tough." Zess laughed heartily.

"Well, what do you know?" Zess told the others. "I think he made one of the smartest decisions in this game. Sure, we all want to make it to the end for the glory and fame, and Snifit probably wanted to have too. But he took a safe path…and lots of smart people take the smart, guaranteed path, don't they?" Everyone, still surprised, nodded.

"Wow, I'm just…wow," Dashell said with a shake of his head. "Good job, Snifit. Smart move, man. I'm proud of you." He looked down at the floor.

* * *

"My favorite part of the game was probably…this episode," Snifit told the host. "Yep. Episode 3 was a great episode because I was able to finally shine out in some ways. Did you remember me in Episode 1, McHallyboo?" McHallyboo nodded with a memory grin.

"Though my favorite episode was the one I met my downfall in, it was good. I'm grateful to have been a player. No regrets in anything that happened. I mean…" Snifit looked down at the bags he was holding.

"I might have been the victim of this episode anyway. Maybe I was smart. Maybe I made the wrong decision." But he shook his head.

"But no regrets."

"And that is a good feeling to have, Snifit," the host told him, nodding heavily as he and the host opened the door to the mansion's outside.

* * *

"It is such a thought to think about," Éclair realized, almost standing up. "He did not say one word in the beginning of the game…but when he ended it, he ended his game with such a great and magnificent speech." Everyone nodded in revelation, wide-eyed: the contrast could not be unseen.

"I'm going to miss him and his distinctive character," Zess told the group. "He was silent in our first games, but then a hero, especially at the end! By golly, he saved us from a burning building!"

_(flashback __**Mimi**__, hugging Snifit):_"_Snifit, you saved us!"_ _(as Snifit looks bashful, Zess and Piantissimo look appreciatively at him)_

"We would have burned to death…" Piantissimo realized. "And…I wouldn't have ever wanted that feeling. Thanks, Snifit, for saving me….real fire or not." He shuddered with thankfulness.

"Snifit…he played the game so unique," Dashell said. "Such an awesome persona for a Mole game. I think one of the first times he actually talked to me was in the Purchase of the Desert game…and I think that was when he changed."

_(flashback __**Snifit):**__ "You see, I have an exemption." (holds the exemption up for Dashell and Tiny, shocking them)_

"When he found that exemption in the first episode, I was just stunned," Tiny said, laughing and remembering. "He was…so clever and unique! I'm going to miss him. With just six players left…there's not much." She and the others gasped, realizing how small the group had become.

"Is it just me, or are the smart players leaving?" Dry Bones said, still in a level of shock from Snifit's departure. Dashell turned to him.

"That's…not a good thing to say about yourself, fellow," he replied with a chuckle, then his face changed.

"Or me either."

* * *

"Huh…Snifit? Snifit!" was Mimi's shocked reaction, seeing the ex-player walk out of the doors along with the host. Then, knowing the truth of what happened, she was ecstatic.

"Aww, I don't have to go home by myself!" Mimi said with bliss, hugging Snifit immediately. He only replied by smiling timorously.

"And I thought I would have to go through that scary vortex alone." It was a swirling ray of dark colors, but it was different than before. It wasn't as dark as the vortexes that the previous executed players had gone through. Now, it was slightly brighter, and shades of grey and very small tints of white were amidst the black colors. The two players didn't know that the vast whirlwind before them had changed from its two past previous executions, but with nothing else to do, they faced it together.

"Yes…" Snifit said, looking at the vortex, and then realize that the land in front of him was crumbling "This won't be as frightening as I thought it would be. If we must travel…into this portal together." McHallyboo walked down the outside steps of the mansion, and he reached the two players. All three of them stood on the edge of the created cliff together. The forest existed no more.

"Are you both ready to leave this game?" the host said to them in a grand voice, and he faced them one by one.

"Mimi?" Mimi faced him, nodding with a smile that gleamed as much as when she played the game. The host then turned to Snifit, a grin on McHallyboo's face.

"Snifit?" Snifit nodded as well, and the host could see behind his mask that he was smiling, nervous and content, as well.

"Then please…" McHallyboo faced the whirling vortex before him, as Mimi and Snifit turned around as well.

"Good luck." Mimi looked at Snifit, smiling.. They both grabbed hands.

"Ready?" Mimi asked him, her eyes full of readiness and excitement. Snifit nodded.

"Yep. Let's do it."

"Ready…go!" Mimi leaped first, and Snifit unreadily followed her, the two of them falling through the air as the large whirlwind of air, pixels, and bits of grass from the haunted land followed them as well. Mimi screamed, and Snifit held his silence, as they both were transported far out of the world, a world which gave both of them their own remarkable adventures of the game.

* * *

It was nighttime. Mimi fell on the ground first, and then a few seconds later, Snifit right after.

"Ah!" Hearing his exclaim, she ducked. The fallen player in red stood up, alert and looking around him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he reassured, as Mimi simply giggled lightly. Then, with wide stunned eyes herself, she looked around at her location.

"Oh my gosh…Snifit," Mimi began, and they saw in the distance a large vast amount of land, a few buildings, and the moon in the distance. Snifit stared in awe as well.

"Where are we?

"Mimi, we're home. We're safe and home."

* * *

**And that was...the end of Episode 3. It was the most DRAMATIC execution round….combined all three seasons to date! (Execution Roulette was quite nerve-wracking though, lol).**** And two players have left us.**

**I'm not going to lie, I'm going to MISS both Mimi and Snifit. It was so fun writing the neat, snobby, and colorful character of Mimi. I will miss the many opportunities I will have in the future of her playing the games in her own way.**

**And Snifit, must I say words? (lol no pun intended). His mysteriousness really brought him through the game and it was so fun having him be in the Mole. And I loved making his breakthroughs with his increased speaking. I wanted to evolve him before he left…and that I did.**

* * *

**Also...dun dun dun dun...I HAVE to thank you all wonderfully for a wonderful fact: I have**** reached 150 reviews!**

**You guys are serious amazing and this story wouldn't have reached its Episode 3 without your wonderful words. **

**When Season 1 started, I never thought it would even reach this point of greatness and awesomness in my readers. So...Thank you all so much : )**

**Sorry for the semi-late update to what I promised! But thanks guys so much for your reviews! I shall reply to your wonderful last Episode 3 words:**

* * *

**sixthsense6****:** Ah yes, it has been a small while since I saw you last! Glad to see you, my quick reviewer hehe : ) Ah I must say, Snifit really did become suspicious this entire episode! I guess he was making his suspicious mark successfully…right before he had to go lol. I'll miss him!

**Elemental Queen****:** No problem! And ah yes, I do quite enjoy making my story as interactive as possible! It drove me to create the very website for this story. I'm quite happy on how the website/fanfiction connection worked! Thank you, thank you…and nothing wrong with your favorite players ending up being the Mole ; )

**Moley Koopa****:** Good guesses! It's cool to see you have a rank of suspiciousness for all the players. Oh man, about you saying Snifit might have gotten an injury…that would ruin a whole Mole game! D: You know what, in one of the Dutch seasons, one of the players had to get an arm cast from a challenge. And audiences began to suspect that casted player as the Mole like TENFOLD. Until she was executed….haha! But yeah, there have been injuries like that in actual Mole seasons, believe it or not! Shows that literally, Mole games are never limited by any boundaries!

**Luigenius:** Infinite hate for Flurrie! So much, that it travels to other fictional dimensions? xD Don't worry, I feel that she actually iss my least favorite TTYD Partner….but that's cause the others are so awesome! It can't be helped! Anyways, I like that your suspicions are a small mix of clues and (even better) on personality analyzations of who the Mole is! Well done job. I cannot wait till one of your suspects gets executed, to see how your viewpoint changes! And the poll title: good eye catch! But unfortunately, it didn't point to Mimi! But man, that would have been a good clue. I never thought of that! Anyways, thanks for your review and OWN your workplace! Im happy my story gave you a break, it makes me smile as well that you were happy : )

**Princess Toady****:** Toady Samuel! Ah, pleasure to see like always : ) I actually recently looked back at the Spy AA board and just…wonderful memories amuck! Hehe. Anyways, your talking about executed players, I totally agree with you! I especially did the method in Traitor Aboard too; I think I kept Lakitu to the final 4 just cause he was awesome and care-free, hehe. The island mission in this game: Yes wow, they all quite epically failed! I look back and realize: the games could have just gone SO much easier! What were they thinking? xD But, Im not surprised at all…a Mole is among them ; ) Im happy for Snifit's moment of consciousness…he has a really pure side to him that we saw...or was it just acting in a game? Ah, and good eyes in the intro video! I have a thing for subliminal flashes…which is like, what the Mole's all about anyways. Anyways, I WILL read your awesome story sir! And review! I promise you, since you've been such a great reader to me…and a Mole ; )

**fredthemontymole****: **-is holding candelabrum maniacally while typing this very reply- Huh, how did you know? I have a separate computer room just for my sadistic writing LOL. (not really, but if I really did, I don't think you would be surprised, would you). Good suspect listing, your "mayyyybe" was very distinctive lol. And yes, Pineapple Souffles exist very much! Now I'm hungry. And you know what's ironic about my reply? I'm writing this at 6:00 AM in the morning. So Im going to go crazy like you, right now. Ready? YEAAAAAHHHHHHRGH!

**FireKai****:** I know right! I can just imagine….how COMPLETELY different…this episode would have been….if they went to a gigantic cake board instead of this one. They would probably just be frolicking in cake frosting instead of forest grass, lol. Dry Bones would be happy, Éclair would appreciate the cake, Mimi would probably end up complaining about SOMETHING…speaking which, Im sorry but happy your main suspect got eliminated! xD Im curious on how people go about when their main suspect is gone. Me? Whenever that happens to me when I watch/read a Mole season, I cry and run out of the room in disbelief, then try to settle and calm back, haha. Losing my biggest suspect is a no-no for me. Too much of a mind screw! (I had to substitute that word in place of a less-child friendly version that I use when describing disbelief in a Mole season I watch ;p)

**fiction idea****:** Ah yes, I consider the mansion the intense version of the Mario Pary minigames! You see, since the players just went through minigames, they then faced extreme ones of their own. I actually got the inspiration of the Thoughtless Room from an exhibit I went to in Florida! Believe it or not, they put these straps on our head that measured our thought waves…and if you thought too much, the waves go stronger and you lost. So…IT EXISTS IN REAL LIFE! Also, that poem! Dang, I haven't had a poem said about my story since the first The Mole: Traitor Aboard! Creativity, I like it : D Those last two lines of rhyme in your poem had such a nice rinngggggg to it. And a perfect beat! The final line: "Sabotage was key for whoever's the Mole". Ah, that _ring!_ xD Thanks for it!

**Dark Punxysaur****:** Punxyy! Yes sir, how are you doing? Why didn't you know about my 3rd season!? Hehe, it's okay : ) glad to see ya buddy! I see you saw my spam on the Spy AA Board, glad you got the notification xD. Ah, haha, I like how you call Piantissimo jerkface. Reminds of Voldemort (he who shall not be named). Cool comparison to Paul and Nicole from Season 5 to Piantissimo and Nicole! Unfortunately though, the girl of Mimi has left us : ( If you ever make another real-season comparison, I look forwards to it! Also, your name "Dashie" for Dashel is quite adorable, haha! I like. Anyways, thanks for your words Punxy, and so so nice to see you!

**PJCanada****:** Yes, Snifit and the candelabrum! Sneaky sneaky sneaky! And clever. That was something extremely suspicious that he did (if I was in a Mole game, I think I would pull off a move like that, doing/giving something to someone and causing their downfall indirectly). And it totally would have worked as a clever Mole sabotage! …if Snifit was the Mole : ( Ah, but I shall miss him! A very interesting and nice view point on the Durian-Mole clue you mentioned! If it wasn't intentional, it sure makes me think though! Hmm, Durian has played an averagely-significant role in all 3 of my seasons. Reoccuring theme? xD Anyways, thanks so much for your review, PJ C! (haha, please do not mind that nickname ;)

**Fanfict1315125****:** Ah, thank you! I'm so glad to hear you read the entire story in one sitting : ) it truly makes me extremely happy to hear that and that people like you have enjoyed it! Really appreciate it and I hope you enjoyed the ending of Episode 3! And I like your suspicion list, I felt like you voted on the poll and made it complete, so thanks!

**Guest:** A good clue spot! Significant, is it? Though I must say, the possibility of Bowser Jr. being the Mole has already been nullified. I miss that game-enthusiastic guy….-sniff-

**Vivalahomestar****:** Hotel bed? Hotel bed! –high fives- xD Hah, I'm actually in Florida right now, finishing and writing the final parts of this chapter. Ah, thanks for that, saying that the mission was a prime example of my story style! I take that as huge compliment AND realization! Man…that _was_ my kind of mission, wasn't it? Especially with my horror writing past…thanks! Anyways, you mentioned the basic gimmick of a mirror, and it makes me realize that yes, some of the players actions were not quite bright in the mission. But, you cannot help it! Especially if one of them is the Mole ; ) Your sentence about Snifit makes me miss him! He was indeed an incredibly genius player and I will miss him grately. Your suspicions were top notch and I loved your list on your four top, your favorite player, and on the executed Mimi xD I guess she isn't the Mole anymore, but there are still the final 6. Thank you so much for your review! Im yet to hit yours again and look forward to it : )

* * *

And the poll resuls! Ah, such great votes! Thank you all for voting! It is a great reveal as to who are the greatest suspects of the game till Episode 3. Just who are they?

**Who is the true traitor of The Mole: Agent's Elevation?**

**Tiny Kong:** _(6 votes, 20 percent)_

**Zess Toad:** _(5 votes, 17 percent)_

**Dashell Knot:** _(4 votes, 13 percent)_

**Il Piantissimo:** _(4 votes, 13 percent)_

**Mimi Shipeshafter**_**:** __(3 votes, 10 percent)_ **(EXECUTED)**

**Dry Bones Secar:** _(3 votes, 10 percent)_

**Snifit Incognoto:** _(2 votes, 6 percent)_ **(BRIBED)**

**Éclair Choux:** _(2 votes, 6 percent)_

That is the audience/reader poll! Such INTERESTING and revealing results! Thank you to everyone for voting! Just what truths hold in this game?

Now, only six players remain. And one of them...is truly the Mole.

To continue this game…in Episode 4 : )


	16. A Cold Beginning

**Hello everyone! It is quite happy to see you all and thanks guys so much : ) I have come back from my vacation, appropriately, to the beginning of a new episode.**

**Yes…the numbers have dwindled….but the game goes on. Six players left, and who is the Mole?**

**Enjoy the beginning...of Episode 4.**

* * *

**Episode 4**

"It was quite simple to do. I simply…failed the game."

"Even obvious actions can look undetected," McHallyboo said, facing the metal elevator before him. "Sometimes the subtle ones are those people look for, while the obvious actions are overlooked. Both are good."

"Yoshi was a very subtle Mole," said the agent, thinking back to the game of their past. "He was one to be looked up to."

"I am sure you will rank well with those of the past…Toadette, Yoshi…anyways." The host put on his prepared coat, one that resembled his usual own but except much thicker, with lines of fur seen around the ends of his sleeves and on his back.

"I have always been one to dress up, too, for the ceremonies of this game," the Mole said smartly with a smile.

"Are you ready to enter a cold-hearted world?" the host asked. The Mole nodded, and the two of them were ready.

* * *

_**Who is…the Mole?**_

_**PLAYER: Dashell**_

_Surname__:_ Knot

_Birthday__:_ September 23

_Occupation__:_ Sports Agent

**_PLAYER: Dry Bones_**

_Surname:_ Secar

_Birthday__:_ July 5

_Occupation:_ Horticulturist

**_PLAYER: Eclair_**

_Surname:_ Choux

_Birthday__:_ June 30

_Occupationm__:_ Patron/Pastry Maker

**_PLAYER: Il_**

_Surname:_ Piantissimo

_Birthday:_ January 2

_Occupation__:_ Competitive Athlete

**_PLAYER: Tiny_**

_Surname:_ Kong

_Birthday:_ October 20

_Occupation:_ Retail Manager

**_PLAYER: Zess_**

_Surname:_ Toad

_Birthday:_ February 26

_Occupation:_ Chef

* * *

It was a strange aura of silence on the front steps of Boo Manor. Outside the grand mansion which held almost their entire previous episode, including the two grueling ceremonies of elimination which took two of their very own, the remaining players of the game could only sit in waiting silence on the cold steps of the building.

Dashell: _It really actually affected me to see Snifit go. I wish he didn't take that bribe. Maybe we could have worked it out and he could have survived till the end._

"He was too smart for this game," Dashell murmured to himself, feet on the stone step in front of him. Zess heard him.

"Yeah, you reckon that's why he decided to leave?" Zess laughed. "Perhaps this game was too smart for him. And we, the six of us, are the dumb ones left here in this game!" The rest only shook their heads.

Zess: _Six players. One of us is the Mole! I didn't want to be the next one getting whacked! So all I had to do was figure out just which one of these five are it…but you know what the problem is? They're just all so innocent!_

"I…I don't know," Dry Bones said, looking at the others. "I'm so confused! I was sure Snifit was the Mole!" As he ducked his head, Tiny looked at him, confused.

Tiny: _If Dry Bones thought Snifit was the Mole…he must be really off track. I think he might be lying, but Snifit really didn't do much to be suspected. He was too quiet to be the Mole. What is his strategy?_

"We must still stick together…" Éclair said, but even she seemed affected by last episode's events.

"Stick together?" Piantissimo asked her. "What does that do? In a game like this?" Éclair didn't reply.

"Well…hmmph." Piantissimo paused, reflecting on last episode's events as well.

Piantissimo: _Hmm. Mimi ended the game happy. It left a good impression. So perhaps when I leave this game happily at my execution, I will leave a good impression as well on the others. But at this point...did I simply care?_

"Come on guys, we shouldn't be smiling down!" Zess called out in a grand voice, as everyone turned to her. "Let's smile up!" Everyone turned to the elderly toad.

"Smile…up?" Tiny repeated. Zess winked, and looked high above the mansion. The rest of the five turned and saw that shooting above the mansion, mysteriously visible to all of them and reaching to the sky, was a large pole that had the exterior of metal. It was the elevator shaft, and it had already become visible to all of them. They stared in awe at the sight before them.

"The world is already changing, huh?" The metal elevator shaft stopped partway into the sky before them, and looking up, they realized that part of their blue sky above was not a blue sky, but actually a fictional, disguised part of a ceiling, painted the colors of the world above.

"I think…our next episode is waiting."

* * *

The six players were huddled in the elevator, immense and shaking as it continued it way to the fourth floor of the game. McHallyboo stood in front of them, as if guarding them from the next world they would encounter.

"Huh." Dashell's eyes were staring at the yellow lights above the elevator door, almost a little heatedly. He finally discovered the meaning of the seven lights.

"Seven episodes, right McHallyboo?" he said, a little crossly. "Why didn't you warn us beforehand?" Éclair looked at him worriedly.

Éclair: _Dashell has changed a lot, entering this new episode. I believe it is because he has disconnected from important people this round, and he is alone….I do realize too that I myself am alone in this as well._

"Are you guys ready for the next world?" Tiny asked, as everyone prepared themselves mentally as well.

Tiny: _I honestly don't know how I'm going to survive the rest of this game. After last night's double elimination, I realize that things have gotten harder. Everyone's smart. Zess is smart, I shouldn't underestimate her. Even though I think she's the Mole. Even Dry Bones is smart._

_DING!_ The floor arrived, and Dry Bones jumped, falling against the side of the metal door in the process. Then, when he did, Dry Bones' eyes widened again and he jumped back, looking at it strangely.

"Wait…" he said strangely, voice stunned. Dry Bones pressed his hand cautiously against the metal door he had just touched.

"What is it?" Piantissimo asked urgently. "What? What?" The doors of the elevator started to open. Dry Bones looked at the door with mystery.

"It's…cold."

When the doors opened, the first thing that hit the players was a large gush of cold air. All six of them turned away as snow hit their eyes, flying strongly through the air before them and whirring among a land of white snow.

"What in the world!" One by one, the players in stunned manner entered the world before them, shielding their eyes from the continuing flurries and the extreme change of temperature which had hit them all.

"This is ridiculous!" Piantissimo cried, as everyone tried to cover themselves from the blistering cold.

"Hold together, players!" they heard McHallyboo's voice shout. After a few seconds, the wind stopped, and the players could finally open their eyes fully to the landscape before them. They made out trees, stones, and even a snowy path of white color before them. But in their distances, white patches of snow could be seen travelling endlessly into their horizon.

"Now I think I slightly remember this place," Zess began, but she wasn't sure.

Zess: _A land that will freeze me to death. Oh great! But it did look just a little bit familiar._

"Umm, snow?" Tiny said, looking around her. "Where in the world are we?"

"Welcome, to the Fahr Outpost!" McHallyboo shouted to them, his smile enthusiastic and face being hit with little pieces of snow as well. "This is the icy town of white lands, where snow runs rampart twenty-four hours a day, seven times a week." The players looked around them, in a way, amazed.

"I cannot imagine at all living here," Zess said with disbelief, shuddering at the snow. "It's terribly cold."

"The citizens here, who for odd reason are 98.9 percent bob-ombs, have all accustomed to this weather, complete with a hardened extra layer of skin from living here," McHallyboo went on to them about the history of their land. "Maybe, after a while, you will develop another skin layer too." The players felt just a bit disgusted.

"I'm…good enough," Dry Bones said, shuddering at the thought and the cold. "Even one layer of skin is bad enough for me." McHallyboo chuckled at his statement.

"So, I would like to introduce your first set of missions for this Episode 4," the host began. "Before we begin, I need four runners who are going to run from the past, and two people who have a smooth way with words and direction." The six players tried to face each other in the snow.

"Suggestions?" Dashell spoke up, trying to form the two groups.

"Well, I've had terrible memories in my past, with my age and all," Zess chortled. "I'd like to take the first role...and run away from it!" Piantissimo nodded as well.

"I'll be a runner," he instantly said. "I do not know what the 'past' part entails in McHalyboo's description, but I can surely run, no doubt." Dry Bones immediately shook his head.

"I don't want to run," he murmured, looking at Dashell. "I'll be a people-talker!" Dashell only took a second to understand.

Dashell: _He immediately remembered the role from Episode 2 where I assigned him to be the runner for the megaphone. Does he have a phobia of running now? I guess it was my fault too though that he failed miserably._

"I'll run," Dashell immediately volunteered. Tiny looked at Éclair.

"I know you're really good at physical challenges lately," Tiny began, "but do you mind if I'm a runner this game? Not saying you're not good at running." Éclair smiled.

"Please, if you will, I will be the one to use words." The players had decided their roles.

"Zess, Piantissimo…Dashell, and Tiny," the host began, looking at the four players grouped on his left. "I would like to give you all…these." And there was a container that the players did not spot before that was right beside the host. As the host reached down into the container, he pulled out four plastic objects, along with one large metal object that made them all wide-eyed with amazement and fear.

"A gun," Dry Bones stuttered, seeing the object. McHallyboo first handed each of the four players a pair of goggles, which they put on one by one in curiosity.

"A snowball gun," McHallyboo corrected, "which one of you will be holding in your next game." The four players looked surprised.

"Your game will be called the, '_Snowball Shootout_', and it will be up to you four to safely make it to the end of a fanciful, snowy obstacle course!" The four players could only stare with excitement for their next game's description.

Zess: _When McHallyboo says 'safely'…you know there's something up in the game!_

"Of course, it won't be that easy," McHallyboo explained. "There will be four snowball shooters spread about the course. They have their own strongly-powered snowball guns as well. If you get hit…you're out of of the game." Everyone shuddered at the line, as much as they did to the cold around them.

Dashell: _Out of the game...now that's a phrase I would hate to be associated with._

"If at least one of you makes it to the end, I will be giving the team 20,000 coins." The players looked at each other with surprise, and they knew it was a teamwork game.

"Only one person must make it? Simple," Piantissimo commented, his mood reassured.

"And this game…will not be easy," was McHallyboo's comment about their upcoming mission. "Because the path you must run, to the end of the game, will not be the easiest either. Good luck." The four soon-to-play players were ready for their game.

"Not complete without some danger!" Zess chimed, enthusiastic for their next game.

"Oh man, this sounds a little scary though," Tiny admitted, but she smiled at her teammates. "We got this though. I think." McHallyboo faced the other two, who were not assigned their game.

"Dry Bones and Éclair," he began. "Do you know what your job entails?" Both of the anticipating players shook their heads.

"At exactly 12PM sharp, a tour bus full of bustling tourists will appear. They will be entering this land for the first time!" McHallyboo faced them.

"You, Éclair and Dry Bones, will be the tour guides." At the news, the two players, too, looked stunned and excited.

"Oh my," Éclair sounded, but she smiled at their mission's description. Dry Bones seemed shocked, then spoke.

"Err, that's funny," Dry Bones said with a laugh. "We haven't been here either before!" His face was confused at McHallyboo.

"What…are we supposed to even do?"

"Wing it," was McHallyboo's smiling reply. "You will have to get good reviews for your tour. At the same time, you must complete three specific actions on the tour. Get a good review as good tour guides…and ten thousand coins will be won!" Dry Bones and Éclair faced each other.

Dry Bones: _Didn't sound fair at all one bit. How were Éclair and I supposed to improvise being professional tour guides? Lie to them?_

"A physical game, and a mental game," McHallyboo said, facing them both with a smile. "Just how will you all fare out?

Zess: _A snowball shootout, huh? Just how terrible will this upcoming game be for us? And which group was the Mole in?_

Piantissimo: _I did not know how hard our next game would be, but if we had to run, then a heavy chance I stood._

"Well, players, before you go off to your designated places, I have something I have to give you all first…so you can survive this episode." Looking down, McHallyboo took out a large heap of cloth, using two hands, out of the bin beside his feet. He held them out to the players.

"Coats."

* * *

The host led four players to a hill that existed far into the white land of Fahr Outpost. Almost reminding some of the players of the sand dunes they were forced to climb in Yold Desert, it was a small trudge up the snowy mountains. The players had switched their foot gear as well.

Zess: _We were wearing snow shoes…now, these weren't regular shoes at all. It was like, large tennis rackets were attached to the bottom of my feet! _

"I simply cannot run in these," Piantissimo said with distaste, taking steps one by one with struggle. "How are we supposed to take the action of running in this next mission?"

"I feel like just running in our own shoes would be easier than…these!" Tiny commented, tilting to the side and almost losing her balance. Dashell shrugged.

"I'm used to these," Dashell told his teammates. "Track runs in the snow."

"Almost as if this world was designed for you, huh little guy?" Zess commented, and then they reached the top of the snow hill with the host. But as the snow settled, they made view of someone in the distance that was making their way to their very spot as well, climbing their own side of the snowy hill. In fact, there was more than one person making their way to the group of five.

Dashell: _The strangest site ever…all of a sudden, I saw one of them people. And she had the flowing head of purple hair. And was floating to me. Like…a cloud spirit._

"No, it cannot be…" Piantissimo's eyes were in disbelief, recognizing the second person in line among the group of people. He had the same smirk of his father, who was a fire-breathing notorious , there was a single voice that made all of them drop their mouths, stunned.

"I knew you were gonna miss me!" Mimi popped out from out of the snowy wind. And the four players in their snow shoes could not be more frozen.

Zess: _Flurrie? Bowser Jr? Mimi? These players were executed! How could they even be? I'll be darned, the surprises that keep on hitting me in this game!_

"My my, it's glad to be back here," Flurrie said with amusement, seeing the faces of the others. McHallyboo stepped up between the two groups of players, smiling as well.

"Well, isn't this a surprise!" McHallyboo announced. "Everyone's back together. In this game." The players of the past looked thrilled.

"Wait, where's Snifit?" Tiny asked, still in awe. And then from behind the group, trudging slower than the others and having trouble climbing the hillside himself, was the player in red. He shook his head in the falling snow, a little embarrassed, but faced the group. Everyone smiled at his existence.

"I'm right here," Snifit said to them, standing up on the snow.

Tiny: _I really missed these players. It was great seeing Snifit again, and Flurrie, who left the game so long ago, was back. It was nice to see them shining again._

"Are they…" And then Dashell stepped back, seeing a little spark on the head of Snifit that was visible to all of them. Then he knew.

"Virtual," he whispered, but even to him they seemed real.

"Even though these are not the actual figures," McHallyboo commented, facing them, "they have the same emotions and memories of the images that were lasted here in the past. They were copied, you know, their images. And now, they are here. But can you feel the difference?" Bowser Jr. shrugged, he himself not feeling the difference at all.

"Well, I'm happy to be here for one more game!" Bowser Jr. laughed, and he went up to Piantissimo. He stuck out his hand for his past teammate to shake.

"Thought you saw the last of me in Execution 2, didn't you?" Piantissimo just looked back at him, and for a moment he was still. Then, though no one could see it, a small tear formed in his own eye.

"Yeah, it's good to see you back in this mission…game partner."

* * *

Dry Bones and Éclair were lead to the town within Fahr Outpost and were dressed up in their attire. Both having stylish hunter caps and a shirt with a sewn badge that read "Snowy Fahr Tours", the two players couldn't help but feel more ready for their next challenge.

"Wow, I feel like a real tour guide!" Dry Bones said enthusiastically, tucking in his shirt. "I'm actually kind of ready for this."

"As much as we have to act it," Éclair said, smiling and fitting on her hat, "we must appear it as well." McHallyboo reached their spots, and they all stood at the entrance of a bus.

"Well, soon, you will be tour guides to a group of thirty excited tourists, ready to explore this land," the host explained. "Welcome to the _Tour Travel Mission. _You will have half an hour to actually read this guide book of your very tour. Here." He handed Dry Bones a small packet manuel, which he took gratefully.

"Along this tour, you must complete three actions…among this four hour tour." He opened up a flipbook and began reading to them.

"One: You must at one point tell a joke, and a majority of the tourists must laugh," the host said, and Dry Bones looked startled. Eclair laughed a bit.

"Two: at one point, one of you must uncontrollably begin crying. Burst into tears." The two players were in disbelief, and burst into laughter.

Éclair: _Oh dear…this did not seem like the mission to me where I would appear normally sane, unfortunately._

"Three, you must get everybody into a sing-a-long song on the way travelling back from your tour to this town." Dry Bones and Éclair could only laugh at their misfortune, but were ready for their challenge.

Dry Bones: _Song…you know, like during Subliminal Dinner. If I had enough gusto and confidence then…surely I could do it at the end of this tour! But something strikes me bad about public speaking..._

"And the final verdict…" McHallyboo announced, "is that at the end, there will be a 'Rate Your Tour Guide' survey you must give to every passenger at the end of your tour. If you are able to give me at least 1 excellent review in paper, written by a passenger, by the end of today…I will give you 10,000 coins." Both players looked at each other and nodded.

Éclair:_ I had no doubt we would do at least adequate…but an 'excellent' review is something we just feared would be so difficult. It was a challenge._

"Well, what are you waiting for?" McHallyboo said, opening his arms to the bus' entrance. "Prepare for your job of your life, before they all come. Good luck!"

* * *

**Mission: The Snowball Shootout**

**Goal:** _Four players must navigate their way across a snow-white course, dodging obstacles and snowball shots from their familiar executed players on the sidelines. One player on the field is allowed to hold their own snowball gun to take out their attackers. If anyone is hit by a snowball, they are out._

_If at least one of the running players make it to the end of the course, 20,000 coins is won._

"Oh dear." They had reached the course, and for as far as they could see, it was the view of a snow-ridden land with little bumps and cliffs. Stretching out for at least five-hundred feet, the four players could only wait at the starting line with anticipation.

"Those bumps will trip us!" Zess said with disappointed at the course before her.

"But they can also use for smart shields," Dashell said smartly, noticing the pattern within it.

"Okay players!" McHallyboo called out, holding a whistle. "The time limit on this game is thirty minutes! If none of you make it to the end by then…then sayonara to your twenty thousand." The players looked a bit disappointed, but they became more alert when McHallyboo displayed to them all the snowball gun from before: one of them would have to carry it.

"Who would like to volunteer?" the host asked them, holding it. "Just to warn, this device is around thirty to forty pounds, so you will have to be strong as well as light on your feet."

"I think…I'll decide to take it" Tiny Kong began, looking at the others. "I will. I feel like I can counter the others as well as be able to run fast enough."

"Are you sure?" Zess asked her. "It's mighty heavy!" Tiny just nodded.

"You all can just focus on escaping while I attempt to shoot the others down," Tiny said with thought. The other three nodded: the gun would be hers.

"Well Tiny, here it is," McHallyboo granted, and Tiny Kong took the large device that was handed to her.

"We need a strategy," Dashell began, as McHallyboo left. "There are large bumps in the land every thirty feet. We have to plan our moves together: they are bound to miss us when we all run together at the same time."

"Running together at the same time?" Zess questioned with a shake of her head. "That's preposterous! We'll get hit like a large crowd of birds!" Everyone took in her suggestion, as Dashell seemed to reconsider his plan.

"So, what should we do?" Tiny asked, resting the metal gun beside her. "Just run?"

"Okay, we'll just run it out…but we have to use the hills as shields," Dashell said, and he pointed out at the land before them. "The shooters will be on our left side…so we have to hide on the right of the hills. We have to hide behind these snow mountains for safety. We'll be safe behind them with no harm on us." They saw a red line that separated the shooter's territory, which was on a raised land besides the actual obstacle course, from the long path the four of them had to run.

"They're on raised land…so they'll be shooting down on us," Tiny said, her voice a little uneasy.

"Yep. So they can target us very well."

* * *

The bus was already bustling with tourists. Most of them not bomb-ombs, some of them had just arrived in the winter-setted land of Fahr Outpost to learn more of their surroundings. Unfortunately for Dry Bones and Éclair, they had just learned about them just minutes before.

"Oh goodness, the bus is ready to go," Éclair said, and she faced Dry Bones.

"Ready?" Dry Bones faced her, a nervous grin. They both stepped up, up the steps of the bus, and were focus of the people before them. Éclair faced the crowded bus of people.

"Hello, and welcome to the wonderful Snowy Fahr Tours of Fahr Outpost," Éclair stated to the crowd before her, as all eyes turned to the princess of the tour. "I hope you're all ready to explore this magnificent land, as we go out to explore the Powdered Tundra and the Angel Wing Cave. Please sit back and enjoy the tour." The crowd seemed content, pleased, and most faces in the crowd were happy if not smiling.

"My name is Éclair," Éclair said, bowing politely to the tourists before her. "And…" Dry Bones stepped up.

"I'm the local expert of this land, Dry Bones Secar!" he announced to them. He suddenly froze for a second.

"Umm…umm…once there was a….yes, enjoy," he said sheepishly, and faced the front. Éclair, seeing some of the confused faces before her, just smiled brightly to the crowd.

"Well, are you ready to start? Please give us a cheer to start the tour!" The crowd immediately switched to a mode of enthusiasm and excitement for their tour. As they did give out a welcoming cheer, Éclair breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she joined Dry Bones on the tourist seats beside them.

"Dry Bones, are you okay?" she asked quickly, trying to talk under the again-bustling crowd. Dry Bones looked nerve-wracked.

"I tried to!" he said, face panicked in a mode of defeat. Éclair looked confused.

"Tried…?"

"To crack a joke, for a challenge" Dry Bones finished, and he looked back at the crowd to see if anyone was looking at him. "You don't think anyone thinks we're bad, are we?"

"Oh...well…it is the only first few seconds of our tour," Éclair said reassuringly, but even she was a little cautious.

Éclair: _I am a bit worried, for I realize that Dry Bones is very nervous in crowds. And I had not known this before…but he just needs confidence, is all._

Dry Bones: _I tried…that counts, right? Whoo…can't wait for four more hours of public speaking! Especially with ten thousand coins on the line. Oh be-jeez._

* * *

"Flurrie and Mimi! Shooters of Half 1 of the obstacle course."

"My my, this will be quite the game." It was Flurrie who was raising her snowball gun in the air, and excitedly, Mimi joined her by her side with her own smaller version of the weapon. The two of them stood in their place, their gun perched on little holders that enabled them to aim them through the air.

"For the first half of the course, you will be avoiding these two shooters of your past: Flurrie and Mimi." The two females gave their little waves from the side.

"You're all going down!" Mimi taunted loudly, waving her gun in the air. "I might even win this game, and I'm not even part of this game anymore!" They heard her, even though she was situate more than fifty feet away from them. Dashell gulped.

Dashell: _Oh man. Mimi with a gun looked frightening. Flurrie holding a gun? It was like...an oxymoron definition for me._

"Yes, though I do not like this, I will be shooting at you all," Flurrie called out, her voice magnified through a speaker, "but it is our duty for this game." All four runners waited at the start of their game. The course runway of snow, one which they had to make it to the end of, waited before their eyes.

"Oh no…" Tiny looked down at her gun, feeling anxious for the game. Zess put on her ready face, and her shoes were ready to run.

"Don't trip, fellas," Zess said with a small smirk. "These shoes are trickier to run in than ever." Dashell nodded, and the other two listened to her.

"On your mark!" McHallyboo shouted. The runners nervously got and readily got into their springing positions.

"Get set…"

"WHOOOT!" A high-pitched sound rang through the air: the host's whistle.

"Go!" The four runners sprinted as fast as they could across the snow, as fast as their snow shoes could take them. Zess hollered out loud, as snowballs were fired from the very guns of Flurrie and Mimi, into the air and over their heads. They were being missed by dangerous mere inches.

Zess: _Wow, what a start! All I could see was flying snow! It was a feeling of excitement and terror, all in one._

Piantissimo: _Chaos. Absolute chaos! I could not describe it any more._

"Duck!" Piantissimo shouted, and he ducked himself, dodging a snowball which just whizzed over his head. Zess trailed behind him, hiding under a small hill of snow, and then running out right after. Dashell, ahead of everyone, managed to run the first hundred feet.

"Hide, hide here!" Dashell gathered, and he had reached a large man-made mountain of snow as their first barrier across the course. Piantissimo found shelter, then Zess. Tiny was the last one to join them, huffing with the metal device in her hand.

"You're all okay?" Dashell said to his group.

"Geez, Flurrie is quite excellent with that gun!" Piantissimo noticed, looking panicked. "I looked at her right in the eye!

"My own gun," Tiny realized, looking down at it. "I think I'm going to stay behind a little bit behind you guys. I want to try and possibly shoot down an attacker."

"Are you sure?" Zess said with a worried look. "We don't want you down!"

"Don't worry," Tiny said, slightly smiling a bit reassuringly. "I'm gonna try and take one down before they take one of you. Plus, my gun is so heavy anyway."

"Ah!" A snowball, shot by Flurrie herself, had knocked off the top of the created ice fort, as a large chunk of snow fell down upon the four players. They immediately scattered out, trying to take the snow out of their mouths. Zess fell to the floor, flabbergasted.

"Run, run!" Dashell ordered everyone. Piantissimo pulled Zess, and she tried to take his speed to boost her back onto her feet. They were off running forwards. Dashell ran as well, and for a second, Tiny did too. But then, she stopped, paused in place.

"Tiny, what are you doing!" Dashell called, facing behind him. She was poised in place, looking worried as well.

"I…I need to get one of them down!" Tiny said with determination, trying to handle the trigger of the gun. "If I can just…" All of a sudden, her body lunged backwards, as a white comet-like object soared through the air and hit her directly in the chest. Dashell, just a few feet away from her, jumped backwards in shock.

Dashell: _I didn't know what to make of the snowball that sailed out of nowhere. And the force…was at least fifty miles per hour. It hit Tiny, and I was caught off guard._

"Ah!" Tiny Kong fell backwards into the snow, and it was clear. She was hit. It was a terrible sight, as she lay motionless in the snow.

"Tiny is down!" was a boomed voice that echoed in the air, from the host's mouth. "Shooter: Flurrie." Flurrie, though feeling a little bad, did a little victory dance to her pleasure from her sidelines.

"The gun!" Zess shouted, facing backwards at Dashell and still running with Piantissimo as well. "Grab the gun! You're still able to grab it!" In an instant, Dashell grabbed the snow gun which Tiny had left behind, and hoisted it above his shoulder. Now, he had to run ahead and dodge the future shots of the sailing snowballs.

"Ahh!" Piantissimo halted, as a snowball landed just feet away from his feet. He looked to his left, and saw Mimi, her gun pointed at Piantissimo with a little smile. For a second, their eyes met.

Piantissimo: _Even virtually…Mimi still scared me to my wits. A statement I will thoroughly admit._

* * *

**Episode 4 begins! With a small bit of cold twists and turns! Just how will these duo of mission play out? **

**Thank you all for being such a great readers and supporters! : ) Episode 4 is almost the hallway point of the story…and I wish to make the rest of this great for all of you. Let me…reply to you wonderful people!**

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**Moley Koopa:** Oh snappers! Realizing how short these executions truly are! Oh gee, the past two executions have not reached more than three names even. I kind of like it though: I expect executions in a Mole game to draw out names and be longer, so a short one is unexpected. Poor Bowser Jr, being such a fan of the game, was probably shocked at his own execution xD. And your favorite is still alive! Just hoping your favorite just doesn't turn out to be the Mole, that is.

**FireKai****:** Ah, in a way that is a positive aspect! Having a major suspect eliminated now, than later like in the final three. I watched a Dutch Mole season following one person until the final three…and was duped so bad : ( haha. Who's fault was that? Your comment of being glad Snifit left, your reasoning of him being too mysterious made me laugh so hard, haha. Dashell and Éclair's dialogue…man, I usually don't write scenes like that in a Mole game. Reminds me of this drama/romance fic I tried to write a few years back…never again! Lol -.- Ah, speaking which! Do you know of the current Australia Season 6 airing right now in the kangaroo land? It's actually quite spectacular! I'll send you it in a PM if you like : )

**book-reader233****:** Ah hehe! I struggled so much in deciding the chapter name! I wanted readers to know though that this was not some ordinary execution. So yep! Hopefully after Mimi's departure, the bribe still took you by surprise, I hope ; ) Snifit, yes. Such a mysterious character, and if he really was the Mole…wouldn't that be the best reverse psychology ever? I would have loved to have made him the Mole to mess around with you guys! But then there would be vegetables of anger flying D: hahaa! And great listing of suspects! I see your points very well, and perhaps you have coincided and powered the poll with your thoughts! Since your suspects were such on the top? Hehe. Only time will tell for the results of the next poll!

**sixthsense6****:** Ah, premonition before the execution! Hehe, it seems like you had it before Mimi disappeared. And Mimi's attitude totally reminds me of the little conniving girl who pretends to be more useless than she really is…and that's totally suspicious to me personally in a Mole game! So perhaps that is why you suspected her as well : ) Yes, and about Snifit not going home empty-handed: I agree with that too! I feel like he did deserve something for his clever play-out of the game. And 50,000 coins ain't bad yo, lol. Thanks for the wishes!

**Elemental Queen****:** Ah, I must say, Zess is the likable character in this game xD Wouldn't be the same without her! I was really excited to add a grandma character to the group.

**Vivalahomestar****:** Temper Tantrum attack? No! –hides- ahah. Oh, thanks for thanking me on my trickniness! Anyways, yes, that double execution was quite awful! But do not worry! This season has the same number of episode as Season 1 now…and that lasted quite a bit, I must say x) Season 2 was awful for me with so many writer block gaps! So maybe this cut of an episode is just what this season needs. It might even be for the better for me in the end. And it's a dilemma to think about: is the Mole innocent-appearing, or not so innocent-appearing in this game? That is the question among the remaining players! Anywyas, thank you for your words Mr. Viva-home! Ah, my nickname for you hehe. And I shall be sure to check your updated story, I must!

**Ice Empoleon:** The plus-one logic was so spot on! You described it well: incentive for the others to win even if they won a previous game, and not so many exemptions. Voting for one player: yikes indeed! I would never do it for the first three quizzes. No sir! Anyways, I love the level of suspicion-ness you associate with each character, after listing their sabotages. Your "entered names list" was really intriguing as well…care to elaborate a little on it? It seems like a kind of list I would make xP

**Dark Punxysaur****:** Haha, your nickname for Dashell shines out. As well as Piantissimo's. I can't just help but chuckle at your new, encoded never-changing names for them. Ah, let us see how your predictions go, Mr. Punxy! : )

**Fanfict1315125****:** Thanks for your review! And hmm, you can definitely say that : ) After three seasons….things are definitely not going to be of a normal Mole game hehe.

**fredthemontymole****: **YAH, if you gave me a pineapple soufflé Snifit wouldn't have been executed! Dx. Sniff! It's the truth! Now he's gone…gone forever…but rich, hehe. Ah, good theory on Snifit and his exemption! He really is a mysterious character, with all his motives, and if I were in a Mole game I probably would've suicided instead of him. And oh gee, "Snifit's Suicide". Isn't that just a mordibly-appropriate name for the end of Chapter 15? Haha xD…ah, I should stop laughing.

**Perianth****:** Ah, Luigi's mansion flashback! I miss it! Heard the sequel is top-notch, I can always trust IGN for that ; ) But I definitely based the image of the mission on Luigi's mansion, if you look at the website hehe. Oh yes, the double execution and its trickery! I decided to include the bribe AFTER to vary from the actual US Seas 5 Mole season. So good job trying to reason that, because there was a reason : ) Oh, and are the executions planned? Wouldn't that just be such a diabolical plan by McHallyboo? To just think about it makes me shudder…anyways, you taught me a new internet term! Epileptic tree, I had a great time looking that up and adding it to my vocabulary : )

**ElisaMichelle123:** Hi, hi! Thank you so much for your review. I really appreciate each one : ) Ah, I loved mentioning of the previous Moles (Toadette and Yoshi), and how you are considering them for this season. But yes, hopefully you suspect well! As for your request, I am sorry to say that I cannot promise you that, but I will take it into consideration for what I have already planned to happen : ) And if neither of them are executed…yay! Request granted, hehe.

**PJCanada****:** Ah, thank you for the compliments on the tenseness x) Ah, someone getting executed first on a Mole execution would give me heart attack too. In fact, that happened once in a Mole Australia season…and I died, because that player was also my top suspect, hehe. Oh gosh, I must compliment back on your quiz answer analyzations. Really good work laid out there of analyzing. Getting the number of questions right…ah, that is so great! The quizzes do hold importance, so it was smart of you to tackle that area. Durians…reoccurring theme! I never knew a spiky fruit could become my story icon, ahahaa. Ah, and what is this "very-own krisetchers" thing!? Nonsense, I say! (Thankss xD)

**Luigenius****:** Yes, happy you thought it was intense! I actually had to read it again myself first run-through, and it wasn't intense enough, so I had to add things and edit it up actually xD So glad for the final result! Ah, yes, Snifit would have definitely made it far if he didn't go for the bribe. Too smart of a brain, that player in red had. Great points listed on your suspects, you seemed to track down a lot of areas in the game of possible sabotage. And among your two suspects, we shall see if one of them hits the dust. Also, I like your little list of "people you trust"! Actually, it's good to have that! ...even while playing in an actual Mole game itself, heh.

**PSULucky****:** Of happiness to see you back! : ) Yes, I'm happy to see you are back to reading. Read at your own pace, of course do it! I do the same with my updating so no fault xD. The fight in the middle of Delfino Plaza just gives me back memories of the mission and how chaotic it really was! Your mention of a "hidden clue" involved with Vivian gave me chills…I will say that there wasn't a hidden clue involved there at all, but just the thought gave me some strange genuine heebie jeebies, and good job on that lol.

* * *

**Thank you guys so much for your words!**

** Anyways, if you had stumbled my profile, you would have noticed that the Mole had left another letter there. : o ah, such sneaky messages by the Mole. Read at your own risk.**

**Anyways, stay tuned for the next part of this episode!**


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